This World of Secrets
by ThisAmbiance
Summary: It was practically unheard of for someone from the inner wall to join the army. It came to an even bigger surprise to find out it was a girl. But who will she surprise most when it comes to her talent? And what big secret does she hide from everybody? RivailleXOC.
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1**

Nobody had ever heard of someone from the inner wall joining the army. Life was so quiet and peaceful there, why would they ever want to leave. It was an even bigger surprise to to find out that it was a girl who had signed up. A young one, too. Only 14.

It was rumored that she wouldn't last long judging by her appearance. Small in stature, light in weight, a face that didn't look ready for violence. With elbow length black hair and deep blue eyes.

Her name was Élise LeVain.

She graduated the academy early at the age of 16, top of her class. She excelled at everything. She was intelligent, a natural at using the 3D maneuver gear, extraordinarily brilliant at hand to hand combat, and always kept up a good composure. She didn't show fear or let emotions control her reactions.

Her final stats are as followed:

Intelligence 10/10

Social Skills 6/10

Weight 1/10

Height 2/10

Vitality 10/10

Battle Skills 10/10

She was 159 cm tall (5'2 ft) and 55 kg (121 lbs). She was quiet and liked to keep to herself. She was silent when it came to teamwork, she usually wouldn't say much but still cooperate.

After graduating she decided to join the Scouting Legion. When the time came she got hand picked to join Corporal Rivaille's Special Operations Squad to assist with Eren Jaeger.

Her and her horse, Sebastian, that she had had for years now were immediately departed to the scouting legion headquarters. She was formally welcomed by the members upon arrival. Commander Erwin had ordered Hanji to be her personal tour guild for that day.

"This will be your room," Hanji opened the door to reveal a sad excuse of a bedroom. With only a bed, a nightstand, a mirror and an ugly dresser to occupy the space. Hanji noticed Elise was unamused, "It's not much because it's more than likely that you will only be spending about 10% of your day in here."

Elise nodded in understanding. She walked in and placed her suitcase by the dresser. "You're not much of a talker, huh?" Hanji asked still standing in the doorway.

Elise smiled bashfully, "It's not that I'm shy... I'm just not one for talking a lot."

"Then I guess I choose the wrong person to show you around," a mans voice echoed into the room. Elise turned around in surprise.

"Commander? When did you get here?" Hanji asked the man standing next to her.

Elise had never met the commander before, he meet her expectations almost perfectly. Large, tall, fairly handsome...

"I came to personally welcome our new comrade to the squad." Commander Erwin walked towards her, which was when she notice the neatly folded lump of green in his hands. "I've brought your new uniform, you'll be wearing it from this day on" He extended it out towards her.

Elise reached out slowly and grabbed it from him, "Thank you, sir."

Before being recruited onto the corporals team she had down time to spend with captain Erwin Smith. She had to wait until they found a place to permanently put her, but for the time being she was the personal assistant for the captain, only because he was in need of one at the time. They quickly became good friends. Only a week after she joined she was participating in practicing for group missions.

11 days in, she meet her first Titan. The scouting legion was running a small drill to practice for a larger one that was taking place in the near future. This mission was like a test run.

"Stay close to me, Elise. This is your first run outside the wall. Make sure you keep your eyes peeled, titans will be everywhere." Commander smith told her as they both waited on their horses for the gates to open.

"Right."

The gates opened shortly after and they commenced. It didn't take long for a Titan to appear. Elise store in freight as it got closer. Instead of trusting her natural instinct to run away, she faced forward and continued to run in a group. It's loud footsteps got closer and closer. She tried her best to ignore them and kept facing forward. Eventually two soldiers who rode towards the back of the formation took it out.

"I'm surprised you're keeping such a good composure, your first time seeing a Titan and you're not even phased." Erwin complimented.

She didn't dare tell him she almost panicked and broke formation. They didn't ride long until running into another. This time Elise wasn't as affected by it. As soon as that one was killed off, another appeared. Then another. Two, now, were chasing them down. Ahead was a clearing that brought promise of more space to spread out.

Fear filled everyone as the giant field revealed over a dozen titans wandering aimlessly. Everyone pulled their horse to a stop in unisons.

"W-what is this!?" The commander exclaimed in confusion. Every Titan in the clearing turned toward them. The two that had already been pursuing them drew closer.

"Everybody fall back! Get back into the woods!" The commanders voice pierced everyone's ears.

Everybody turned around and sought refuge in the cluttered trees. Most of them managing to get separated from the group. Including Elise. She could still barley see the commander 20 meters away. She heard him call her name twice. To come closer to the group. She could hear screaming and sounds of agony as soldiers fell victim to a Titan.

Before she even had time to collect her thoughts a 9M class Titan stepped out in front of her. Causing Sebastian to rear up and send Elise flying off. He scurried away leaving her to face the Titan alone. She quickly stood and drew forth her two blades. It stared at her for a moment, looking almost amused, then slowly reached down for her. Elise took immediate action and fired her 3D maneuver gear straight into it's face. Flying towards it, she lifted up her blades and pierced them directly into both it's eyes. She wasted no time getting out of the way for the incoming hands. Jumping behind it's head and immediately turning to face it and fire a rope into the back of it's neck and finishing him off.

She landed on the ground to be immediately visited by another Titan. This time she was unprepared and got caught by her leg. The giant lifted her up high before bringing her to it's mouth. Elise used her abs to pull her upper body up and cut trough the fingers that held her. She heard her name being called as she fell to the ground. She gracefully landed and looked about to locate where the voice had come from.

The Commander rode up to her swift-fully, hand extended to pick her up. Elise took the hint and raised her hand just in time for him to grabbed it and pull her aboard on his horse.

"Looks like I came just in time," he sounded a little relieved.

"If you consider after almost being eaten twice to be perfect timing."

He smirked. "I saw you fight both of them. You handle yourself well."

So far no other titans had appeared. Soon the trees began to dissipate and it became more open.

"Ah!" Elise gasped in shock.

"What?! What is it?"

"It's Sebastian! He came back!" Elise watched as the black beauty came closer and closer to them. He eventually ran right beside them just on their left. Elise leaned over and grabbed the reins, then ever so slowly leaned her way towards him. Swinging her legs over in the process.

"Be careful!" The commander hissed as Elise jumped over onto Sebastian.

"Such a good boy coming back," Elise praised him rubbing his neck.

"Look! To your left!" the commanders voice was urgent.

She gasped in horror as a Titan ran full speed toward them, "It's so fast!"

"No doubt an abnormal."

"What are we going to do?" Elise's voice sounded panicked.

"Just keep running, I can see some of our squad ahead," The commander continued to face forward.

"Ehh," the noise escaped Elise's mouth. "Commander!"

The abnormal cut them off despite being 100 meters away only 10 seconds ago. It's giant foot stomped in front of them sending both them and their horses flying in separate directions. Elise hit the ground hard and tumbled a long ways before coming to a stop. Her whole body ached and she couldn't decide which way was up. Her senses slowly came to and she began to feel a tug on her uniform.

Still disoriented, she hung limply. Her eyes shot open in fear as she finally realized her situation. She was being held up in the air by her green cloak.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

She dangled limply, being held many feet off the ground by just her cloak. The majority of her vision cut off from the fabric. Frantically she reached to unbutton the front, but she couldn't manage to find the button hidden underneath all the fabric. Finally, she made the bold decision to withdraw a blade and swing it over her head in hopes of cutting herself free without cutting herself.

It worked, slicing straight through the fabric and releasing her to the ground. Blinded by fabric she was Unprepared to catch herself or land properly, resulting in smacked hard into the ground.

"Uh!" She exerted as she hit the ground.

"Elise, don't move! I'm taking it down!" Erwin's voice came from above. He was already up in the air, circling the Titan. However, this Titan proved to be intelligent, and he grabbed the wire that supported Erwin - knocking him the ground.

Elise rolled onto her back. In the distance she heard the sound of trotting hooves and the neigh of a panicked horse. Cranking her neck she turned to see Sebastian stomping his hooves and flicking his head and tail around in panic. _'Are you... waiting for me_?' Elise thought to herself. She took the opportunity and pushed herself up on feet, on cue, Sebastian swooped in and let her hop on. Only to immediately make better distance between them and the Titan.

The Titan was now focused on Erwin who was lying on the ground motionless. Elise kicked Sebastian hard to run full speed towards him, the Titan only a few meters away. Right as the Titan began to reach for him Elise ran right between them. Hopping it was good enough to draw it's attention towards her.

It worked. The titans eyes followed her movements as she ran around. Elise could see the rest of the group riding in to help. As long as she kept it distracted the others should be able to swoop in and finish the job. Elise did just that and made it her priority to make sure the Titan kept it's eyes glued on her. In the distance she saw two soldiers soaring through the air to approach the beast. One must have made too much noise or maybe it was reacting to the anchors that had been encased in it's skin, but the Titan slowly began to turn around.

Elise stood on her horse. "Hey!" She fired both lines into the Titan. One into it's hand, the other into it's neck. "Focus on me! I'm over here!"

This time the Titan looked at her with bloodlust. Like this time she had really pissed it off. He lifted the hand that hadn't been pierced and swung it at her. With no other ideas left, Elise only brought her arms up to defend herself from the blow, praying Sebastian would make it out okay. With her eyes still open she followed his arm, only to be surprised that half of it severed from his body and went flying off. Blood splattering her as it whizzed past. A soldier had swooped in just in time to cut off the titans arm before it made any contact.

Sebastian reared up in freight as the disembodied limb flew past. Once again, sending Elise to the hard ground.

Another soldier must have snuck in and finished the Titan just after the other one cut off his arm. In the distance she heard a giant _**THUD**_ as the ground shook. Elise stayed on her side, finally registering all the pain in her chest that she had been blowing off.

"Elise! Can you stand up!? More titans are approaching, we have to get out of here!" a stern voice called to her.

"There's no point in even asking. Didn't you see that fall she took?" the voice got closer to her along with the sound of a horses gallop.

The two men and horses stopped along side her while one hopped off. Elise finally opened her eyes to see arms reaching out for her. Swiftly, but painfully for her, the man lifted her up and placed her on top of a horses saddle. The other man who was already on the horse helped put her legs in the right position and set her up straight. Elise grimaced at the pain, but kept her teeth clenched together to avoid any unwanted screams or gasps of pain.

"Rivaille! Erd!" The commanders voice was loud, "Hurry and move out!"

Without any other words they both commenced forward rapidly.

Elise's body limply bounced up and down as they rode, all the while leaning onto the chest of an unknown soldier to her. _'What am I doing? Why didn't I stand up after falling down?'_ with closed eyes, she thought to herself, _'I needed to prove myself capable of being a good fighter. This was my first mission, I don't want to be the burden.' _She slowly began to lift her head and gradually open her eyes. Unfortunately, the horse just leaped over a broken tree trunk that laid in it's way. Upon landing Elise winced in pain and let a yelp of pain escape her mouth. Her ribs burned hotter than hellfire and throbbed to the point that she thought they might burst out of her skin.

"I think she's really injured. She'll need a doctor right away," A man with blonde hair on the horse next to them noticed the grimace on her face.

"We can't worry about that right now. Focus on the task at hand," the one holding Elise in place said unenthusiastically.

With the wall in sight in the far distance, they continued full speed ahead.


	3. Chapter 3

"Two 12M class titans ahead! There's no avoiding them!" the commander yelled from ahead of them.

"I'll go in and draw their attention, then I want you to come in and take them down while they're distracted."

"Got it!" Erd yelled.

The commander speed forward towards the giants. One showed intense interest as it stared at Erwin and reached a hand out for him. The second titan showed no interest in Erwin at all, but instead fixed his eyes on the two horses behind him.

"One didn't fall for it," Erd announced with a sense of panic.

"You go help Erwin with that one, I'll draw this on away," Rivaille said as he veered off to the right towards the other titan. They rode closer into it's view and lured it in the opposite direction where Erwin and Erd were fighting. The Titan kept hot on their heels as they were forced to make sharp turns to avoid being caught.

Rivaille growled, "What is taking them so long?" It was taking them too long to come finish this one off now. Outrunning it wouldn't last forever.

Elise gathered all the strength she had left and forced herself upright. The hot searing pain rose to a boil as she forced her ribs to move. Pressing forward through the pain, she grabbed the reins in front of her and spoke, "I can control the horse. You go and finish the Titan."

He was silent. As if thinking it over. Finally, he released the reins. He spun himself around and stood up, "Take a left now. A hard one, and don't stop. Keep making circles." as soon as he said it she pulled hard on the left side of the rein and forced the horse to accelerate to the left.

Rivaille fired his 3D maneuver gear towards the titan and jumped off the horse.

Elise kept her eyes forward. Every breathe she took felt like a knife stabbing into her chest. But she refused to back down now. She kept the horse on track and ran as fast as she could. She looked back just in time to see Rivaille's silhouette fly behind the giant and cut off the nape of his neck. She continued to run away so when it crashed to the ground it didn't fall on top of her and crush her.

Elise swung the horse around as fast as she could to go pick up Rivaille who was now on foot in titan territory. Much to her surprise he had turned his back towards her and started running toward the commander and Erd. Elise understood what his initiative was and quickly joined in. She raced the horse in the direction of the other titan. She passed Rivaille, knowing she had to get there before him in order to surprise it with a sneak attack. She rode her horse up towards Erd who was lingering in front of the titan.

"Quick! This way!" Elise yelled without stopping. Heading west in hopes of turning the titan away from the corporal. Commander Erwin was already at an ideal spot, just behind and to the left of the giant. Rivaille arrived momentarily and the two worked together to take the titan out.

"Uh, finally," Erd exhaled in relief. Upon hearing no reply he glanced over at Elise. Her face was etched into a slate of pain and her one arm that held the rein trembled. Her other arm wrapped around chest. She was taking short sharp breaths, limiting the extent of her lungs to avoid pressure on her ribs. The way she breathed allowed only a little oxygen to reach her brain. With her vision fading and mind becoming dizzy she slowly began to loose consciousness. At first she fought it, forcing her eyes to stay open and her head to stay up. But she soon lost the battle and fell into unconsciousness.

Erd , who had approached her in her drowsy state, stopped her body as she started leaning off the horse and held it in place.

The corporal arrived with a whiz of his 3D maneuver gear while at the same time the commander rode up on his horse.

"Elise has completely passed out, we're now down a member with still more than 5 miles

The corporal arrived with a whiz from his 3G maneuver gear while at the same time the commander rode up on his horse.

"Elise has completely passed out, sir, that brings us down one member with still 5 miles until the wall." Erd addressed the situation right away.

"We'll just have to deal with it for now. Rivaille, hurry and get on your horse. I'm sure more of our squad is waiting for us at the gate. Let's hurry and get there. If we see any titans along the way we'll just have to try and avoid them." While he spoke Rivaille jumped aboard his horse and toke control of Elise's body from Erd.

A scowl came across his face, _'Eh, she's getting blood all over my uniform.' _

Once completely arranged, Erwin made the announcement, "Move out!"

They made it to the wall without any further complications. Upon arriving they were grieved to discover that the 5 who had welcomed them were in fact the only survivors of the whole squad of 30. Once they were safe inside the walls and the gate had been closed, Erwin approached Rivaille.

"Rivaille, bring Elise to the medical unit then report back to me at my office. Zacklay will want reports from both of us as soon as possible." With only that the commander left to HQ. With no words to speak Rivaille set route to the medical building.

* * *

Faintly Elise began to open her eyes. Her mind still fuzzy. The room was pitch black besides the small corner of the room where the open window let in moonlight. She recognized this room, it was hers. Though unable to remember how she got there.

Her brain had finally awoken enough to register the chill that ran all the way to her bone. The cool night wind blew in every few minutes. Elise grabbed her blanket and brought it closer to her face. Managing to slightly turn on her side with little pain. She had began shivering but soon after she fell back into sleep.

**Just ****a little authors note - **

**Sorry for such a slow start. For some reasons I just really wanted an action beginning but from here on out it's going to start picking up and become more or a romance! **


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

Elise woke late that morning. Still half asleep she let out a huge yawn and rubbed her eyes.

"~Aww, good mooorrniinnggg, sleepy~"

Elise's eyes shot open in surprise then narrowed in suspicion as she looked over to Hanji who was sitting in a wooden chair next to her bed.

"Hanji?! Why are you in my room?" she yelled at the girl beside her.

"Somebody had to be here when you woke up to explain your situation," Hanji lifted a hand in explanation.

"Hm, I guess, but you still startled me." Elise looked back forward. There was a moment of silence.

"The doctor said you didn't break them. But he did say they were definitely bruised and a few were cracked." Hanji seemed eager to tell her.

"That's a huge relief to know they're not broken," Elise brought both hands to her rib cage and gently ran her fingers up and down.

"Hey, Elise..." Hanji had inched her way to the edge of the chair. Eagerness intertwined in her voice. "Would you let me take a look?"

Elise was thrown off by the question. "Take a look? You want to see?"

She smiled brightly and clasped her hands together, "Oh yes! I love observing the way the human body reacts to injuries!"

"Well... okay." Elise agreed.

Hanji squealed with excitement. Elise reached to pull down her blankets. Once grabbing the end she finally realized there were two on top of her. Although her memory from last night was rather hazy, she distinctly remembered being frozen with just one blanket. She then looked over at her window, which was now locked shut. Elise froze in thought.

Hanji gave her a dubious look.

"Hanji," she paused. "Did you come in my room last nigh?" She looked over at the squad leader.

Hanji shook her head, "This is my first visit here."

"Hm." Elise thought. She decided to ignore it for now and continue on Hanji's request. She pulled the blankets off her top half and unbuttoned the bottom three buttons on the loose pajama shirt she was wearing. Even Elise was curious on how she looked. She pulled the fabric away to reveal everything that was just below her breast.

"Oooohhhh, wow," Hanji leaned in closer to inspect. "The doctor wasn't just using the term bruised lightly." Elise looked down to examine for herself. And she learned bruised really wasn't just a light term. Her torso was tie dyed all sorts of different shades of reds and purples. In some places she could see some very distinct lumps.

"The places you see that are swelling are where some minor cracks occurred," Hanji's finger floated above each bump one after another.

"Did he say how long until I would be able to start working again?" Elise's biggest concern was when she would be able to use her 3D maneuver gear and participate in missions again. She had come here to fight. And that is what she wanted to do.

"He told me you won't be completely healed for at least 6 weeks," Hanji still ogled over her body.

"6 weeks!?" Elise jerked her body unexpectedly, sending a jolt of pain through her body. Out of instinct she wrapped her arms around herself.

"The more you rest the faster you'll heal, I'm sure you'll be better in no time." Hanji leaned back in her chair.

**Knock Knock **

The both looked over towards the door.

"Come in," Hanji called out.

The doorknob twisted and the door opened, then in walked corporal Rivaille.

"Finally you're awake. Now Erwin can stop sending me to check on you every hour." The corporal made his way into the room.

"Is that why I've been seeing you visit so often? I thought maybe there was a different reason." With a smirk on her face Hanji stood from her chair. Rivaille cast her a rather unsatisfied glare before continuing. She chuckled, "Anyway… Resting will get you to full health in no time. So take things easy and relax, and whenever you want company just holler for me, okay?" She made her way across the room as she spoke, then left, closing the door behind her as she said her last words.

Rivaille shook his head in annoyance. Then with a sigh focused his eyes on Elise.

Elise pulled her covers back over herself prior to his gaze. She was about to say something when she was interrupted.

"I trust Zoe enlightened you to your situation then?" He asked her with his arms crossed in front of him.

She hesitated for a moment. For a reason she was having trouble finding words, "Y-yes. She told me everything."

"Good. The only way you're going to heal is if you just lay around for a few days, which I know might be hard for you, but the sooner you heal the sooner you'll be able to start participating in missions again. So don't go and screw yourself over by forcing your body to do things it's not ready for." Rivaille's voice was stern, but there was something soft in it that barley made its way through.

Elise looked down at her hands and nodded in understanding. "Yes, sir."

The corporal turned around and headed for the door, "It's likely Erwin will continue to send me to check on you, so… Don't hesitate to ask for anything when I do." He closed the door behind him.

Elise laid silently as she put her hand over her heart that pounded hard and caused her ribs to ache.

**P.S. Thanks for the reviews guys I really appreciate them!**


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

Much to her expectation she had trouble falling asleep that night, she spent most of the time staring at her ceiling and daydreaming about her home, about what was going on there right now. Not that she ever wanted to go back anyway, she never wanted to be trapped inside those stone walls with her hopeless father ever again. She was finally happy she was away from that place and exploring the world outside of wall Sina.

While on the subject Elise's brain brought up a memory from her third day of being at the scouting legion HQ.

Elise's job in Erwin's office that day was to reorganize the books on his bookshelf. Removing all of them and restocking them in alphabetical order. The sun casting a reddish orange sunlight through the windows as it began to set. The commander and her made small talk as she deciphered which book went before the other. It had fallen quiet after a while for quite some time, Which Elise had enjoyed, not that she disliked the commander, but she appreciated the silence.

It was until a solid three knocks echoed throughout the room did the silence break.

"Come in." The commanders voice was equally as solid. Elise noted the change of tone in his voice.

The door opened and in walked a soldier with black hair. Elise stayed kneeled on the ground in front of the bookshelf, sliding books into place.

"Rivaille." The commander started, "You're back sooner than expected." The commander stood from his desk and walked around to meet him halfway.

"It wasn't hard to find a suitable route, we've marked in accordingly and drew it out on a map," his voice traveled throughout the room as he handed Erwin a thickly folded piece of paper.

"Excellent work. We still have a lot of planning to do before we can depart though."

Rivaille nodded once in understanding. It fell quiet. Rivaille's gaze fell on Elise, watching as she strategically placed one book after the other. Erwin smirked and followed his gaze.

Elise noticed the silence then instantly felt the heat of two sets of eyes on her back. Regardless, she continued working on the _S_ section of the books.

"Corporal, this is Elise. She is the soldier from the inner wall you might've heard of. Elise, please stand and meet Rivaille."

Elise forced herself to stand and turn to face the two. "It's nice to meet you, Corporal, Sir." she gave him a firm solute. She immediately recognized the name. The name of humanities strongest soldier. Excited to finally meet him she laid eyes on him. She couldn't believe what she saw when her eyes lined up almost even with his. Definitely not matching her image she had imagined for him. But she did emit that he looked tough for being so petite.

"From the inner wall, huh?" the corporal asked, shifting his weight from one side to the other, his arms crossed in front of his chest, "What drove you to leave that sanctuary?"

Elise looked down. Thinking. She spoke two word then looked back up, "I guess… I just wanted to contribute to mankind's efforts against the titans. Nobody from within wall Sina ever does anything to help mankind, so I guess.. I felt that if I joined and made a difference, I could make up for that."

Elise snapped out of her trance when she heard the sound of a rotating doorknob. Out of instinct she closed her eyes and rolled her head to the side facing away from door. She felt the atmosphere of the room change as the person made their way in.

Through her closed lids she could tell a candles flame shone on her. She continued to act as if she were sleeping. Only daring to beathe.

She thought she heard a very quiet and short sigh. Then a very distinct **TACK **that come from her nightstand. After a slight moment of silence she heard the sound of footsteps making their way towards the door. Waiting only until she heard the sound of the door click shut to move.

She took a precaution and peeked through one eye first. Once she decided the room was clear of light she turned her head towards her had to wait for her eyes to adjust before making out the figure. Soon, with the help of the moonlight, her eyes focused.

Revealing a tall mug of what she assumed was water.


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

The next day Elise spent the majority of the day lying in bed while an overly enthused Hanji rambled about the science of titans. Hardly interested Elise only nodded occasionally with a "Uh-huh."

The rest of the day was long but she slept soundly throughout the night.

The next morning she was able to take a bath. With help from Hanji getting out of her bed and to the bathroom. She found a way to undress and bathe herself, much to her relief. Once redressed into her uniform minus the maneuver gear straps, Hanji helped her to the dinning hall where they ate lunch together.

Once they took their seats Elise noticed the room was rather empty which was unusual for this time of the day.

"Where is everybody today?" Elise asked as she scanned the room.

Hanji gave her a confused look, like it should have been obvious, "Everybody's probably prepping for the expedition tomorrow."

Elise froze. She turned to stare at Hanji, her eyebrows pulled together in confusion. "Didn't I tell you?" Hanji asked cocking her head sideways. "We leave for our mission tomorrow morning."

Elise's mouth gaped, "So soon!?"

"You guys arrived back on Tuesday night. It's Friday already, three days is plenty enough time to reorganize things and rethink the plan," Hanji placed her spoon into her bowl.

"This is the first time I'm hearing of this," Elises voice was soft, "Does that mean... Erwin intends for me to stay here?"

Hanji was silent for a moment. "Well, naturally. There's no way you're battle ready yet. He's only doing what's best for you and for the squad. How much help are you really going to be if you can't fight? You're struggling even with walking."

"But still. He could have at least put me with the supply carts. I wouldn't have to fight there, at least that way I could contribute to the mission." Elise argued in protested.

"Is riding a horse really a good idea for you right now? Think about it, Elise." Hanji was trying her best to convince her.

"I would ride regardless of my health. It is my job as a soldier to risk my life for humanities sake," Elise was determined to win. "I'm going to go find Erwin," Elise stood from her chair and marched off.

"Elise!" Hanji tried calling her back. Then sighed, giving up, knowing she had no chance of convincing her otherwise.

Elise went immediately to find Erwin. Knowing her best shot of finding him would be his office, she went there first. She approached the door and knocked, then waited for a response.

Only silence.

She knocked again. Still nothing.

She fearlessly grabbed the knob and twisted it open and pushed the door forward.

Empty.

She stood for a moment, scanning the empty room. Then left, shutting the door behind her. Her next stop was outside where the supply carts would be getting loaded. She walked out into the open and slipped into the crowd of soldiers that flooded the area. Placing a hand above her eyes to block the sun she scanned the area. With no luck she continued around the corner.

Once around she easily picked the giant out of the crowd. His blonde hair reflecting the light like a mirror. Elise marched over to him as she watched as he looked over a clipboard a soldier handed him. He nodded in approval, handing the clipboard back and saying something inaudible. The soldier nodded then walked away.

"Commander," Elise took her final steps to approach him.

Erwin turned to face her, genuinely surprised by her presence. "Elise. What are you doing here?"

"I came to talk to you. I want you to include me in this mission," Elise had to look up to talk to him.

Erwins face became even more surprised, "Include you? You can't be serious. Did you hit this head of yours, too?" He placed a hand on top of her head and made it move in different directions.

Elise slapped away his hand, "I'm serious! You can put me on the supply team, I don't have to worry about fighting there."

"And I'm serious when I say this, you're not coming with us on this mission. The injured will not pose any help to us." His voice hardened. It was the first time he had used that tone with Elise.

She quickly remembered who she was talking to, the commander made the decisions. She had to respect that.

Silence fell between them.

"Fine. I'll stay back." her eyes were on the ground now. It was hard for her to fall to defeat.

"Just please do yourself a favor and go back inside and take it easy for the time being. That way when the next mission comes around you'll be in full health and ready to go." the commanders voice fell to a softer tone but he still said it like an order.

Elise nodded, "Understood." She turned to leave but stopped. "One more thing, you can stop burdening Rivaille by sending him to check on me. I don't need his help." Even if she did need his help she wasn't the type of person to admit it. She was too independent for that.

Eriwins face pulled together in confusion. "I've told him he doesn't have to do that anymore. Hanji had seemed to of taken over by herself, so I told him not to bother with it anymore."

Elise thought for a moment. She hadn't seen him yet today, but she knew he stopped by twice yesterday. And she had a strange suspicion it was him who occasionally came in her room at night. It made her feel guilty he was probably losing sleep over her.

"Never mind, then. I must be mistaking Hanji for him when she comes in at night. Good luck on the mission, commander." She rushed to leave before Erwin could say anything else to her.


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

Elise entered her room and closed the door behind her. Little did Erwin know Elise would be joining the mission. She had a plan to sneak in with the group right before they would depart.

In order to do that she would have to bring her 3D maneuver gear and blades to Sebastian's stall and store them there overnight. She would get caught if she was in full uniform while sneaking into the stables in the morning. She decided she would store her maneuver straps and new cloak there as well. That way nobody would suspect anything suspicious if she didn't even have her straps on.

She realized in order to not get caught she would had to wait till dinner when the halls would be empty to move her stuff. That gave her 2 hours to lie down and relax. Being so weak, her energy drained fast.

It was a breeze making it all the way to the stable without being seen. Nobody was going to miss their last decent dinner for who knows how long.

Elise grabbed a pail by the doors and filled it with oats, a treat Sebastian had always enjoyed. She continued walking down the aisle and slowed to a stop at his stall.

It was empty.

Elise stood in confusion, she was sure this was Sebastian's stall. Then it occurred to her that maybe Erwin knew she would do something like this and had him moved somewhere else. She placed everything down in his pen and walked around the whole building.

It was until she knew Sebastian was nowhere in the building that reality sank in. There was nowhere else he could have been. She remembered he bucked her off from freight then ran off. Then she recalled riding with Rivaille all the way back.

Elise had made her way back to his stall. _'It couldn't be that... Sebastian didn't make it back. Could it..?'_ Her hands started trembling at the thought. She clenched them into fist to make them stop. She walked into the stall and looked around. The horse that had been her best friend since she was 11 was gone.

She shook her head at the thought. _'No. He's not gone. He's probably just fine.' _Tears started to build up in her eyes, '_Don't do it. Don't cry!' _She crossed her arms in front of herself and grabbed both her biceps. Squeezing them tight. She started gasping for air, still trying to suppress the tears.

'_He's not dead. He's just… out there… alone…' _the thought made her fall against the wall behind her, slowly she bent her knees and let her butt put itself into a pile of hay. She placed a hand over her mouth, trying to hide the gasp of air that came through. She couldn't control the tears that came pouring out now. She felt her heart sink, Sebastian had been her only friend. Her best friend.

A wail escaped her lips as she thought about how he was surviving. If he was even still… No. She wasn't going to think about that.

She cried long enough to loose track of the time. When she finally stopped she sat motionless. The sun had set and it was dark out now. Her ribs ached from her scrunched sitting position and from all her uncontrolled breathing. She stared out the open window above her, where Sebastian would stick his head out to get fresh air.

Faint footsteps in the distance became closer and closer. Elise turned her head to look down the aisle. She blinked a couple times to clear her eyes. A soldier, whose face was drowned by a lantern that was held out in front of them, made their way towards her.

She wiped her face dry with her sleeve as she turned back forward.

The soldier stopped when he was standing at Elise's feet.

Elise took a quick glanced at their face. Immediately half rolling her eyes and looking away from him when she saw it was the corporal that store down at her. "What are you doing here?" her voice was dark. She tried her best to hide her face, especially her eyes that were red and puffy. Though she was sure he could tell she was crying just by the sound of her voice.

Rivaille would never admit it, but when he noticed Elise wasn't present at dinner he went to check if she was in her room. Upon realizing she wasn't there he made it his priority to find her. Fully aware she had been upset about not being included with the mission.

"Hanji told me you've been missing for quite some time. She was worried and asked me to help her find you," Rivaille spoke from above her. "So here I am."

With her head still turned away she sat silent.

"Where is my horse?" Elise whispered with a raspy voice.

Rivaille was hesitant to tell her. "He ran off during the expedition. There was no retrieving him given our situation."

Elise looked at the ground. She wasn't going to let these tears escape.

Rivaille almost asked her what she was planning on doing after inspecting the gear she had next to her. But he already knew the answer and didn't want her to feel as though she were being interrogated. Instead, he positioned his hand in front of her at eye level. Offering his hand to help her to her feet.

Elise noticed the motion and looked forward. Rivaille's hand floated in front of her. She store at it for a moment, almost taking the offer. But then turned back away, "I don't need your help." She didn't want him helping her anymore. She could take care of herself, she didn't need to be babysitted.

"Just. Please… Go away." She found herself wiping a tear away from under her eye. She did feel a little guilty shooing him away after making such a kind gesture, but she just wanted to be alone.

Rivaille, surprised by her response, stood frozen. He couldn't believe what he had just heard. He ever so slowly retracted his hand. After a moment, he left without any other words.

Elise wiped away more tears. A steady flow making its way out. And she couldn't help but think she had begun crying again not only because she knew Sebastian was outside the wall but maybe because she sent away the one thing she wanted the most right now. Somebody to keep her company, she found herself to be more than lonely right now.

She didn't know when, but at some point she had cried herself asleep.

Within an hour of her falling asleep Rivaille had made his way back to the stall. He picked her up and carried her to her room. Grimacing at the fact the she had fallen asleep in a germy horses pen and that he was now touching her contaminated body.

As soon as he placed her into her bed she made a grunt sounding noise and moved her head a little, eyelids starting to twitch. He took that as his cue to get out of there before she woke up completely.

Elise cracked open her eyes just in time to see Rivaille's silhouette walking away. Her eyes opened wider and she couldn't stop herself from calling out his name.

"Rivaille."

He froze mid stride.

She didn't know what she was going to say to him. She found herself calling his name before she even knew why. It was so silent she could hear her own heart beating. In fear he might continue to walk away and leave if she didn't say anything soon, she said the first thing that came to mind.

"Will you stay?" She whispered. Pausing for a moment, "I don't want to be alone right now."


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8**

Elise awoke that morning to an abnormal silence. She knew everybody had left already. She tried to imagine where they were right now, if they were still inside the wall or if they had begun the expedition outside.

She rolled over in her bed, coming face to face with the wooden chair that Rivaille had promised to sit in until she fell asleep. She closed her eyes, running through the events that had happened last night. She hated herself for being so weak in front of the corporal. The last thing she wanted was for him to think she was some delicate girl that needed someone else to take care of her.

Embarrassed she had let her emotions control her actions. She knew she was developing feelings for him. And she wasn't going to let them grow any more. She didn't want a relationship, not right now.

To officially start off her day she went to the kitchen and got herself a cup of tea for breakfast. She drank it in peace in a study while she read a book about ancient mythology. She eventually fell asleep on the couch and awoke 2 hours later.

With no other ideas to keep herself entertained, she threw on her green cloak and decided she would go explore the town she would be spending her time in.

Elise store in awe at the unfamiliar design of the buildings. She found the cottage houses around her to be fabulously charming. So unique with character from the wooden beams that made patterns on the outside. She found them to be much more appealing than plain stone buildings.

She took a moment to sit on a bench and watch the people around her. They all behaved in such a different manner than from what she's seen in wall Sina. And their clothes... She had never seen fabric so... Drab and dull. She didn't want to admit it, but she found the majority of the people to be rather dirty. But she could tell they all seemed to be genuinely nice, which was an uncommon trait among the inner city folks.

She stood back up after a while of observing. Continuing her tour down the street. Elise couldn't help but become ecstatic as she laid eyes on street that was lined with stands that were selling various food products and homemade knick knacks and fabrics. There was no stopping her from checking out every stall. This was something she had only heard of, never before had she actually seen one. She had to restrain herself from buying everything that caught her eye because she knew she wouldn't have any use for any of it back at HQ.

Elise found herself inspecting apples at the very last stand that sat perpendicular to a main road.

A commotion started growing around her. A first it was only shallow whispers, but it soon escalated louder when she heard the sound of multiple galloping hooves.

"Look! They're coming this way!"

"Why are _they_ here?"

Elise turned around to find the cause of the eruption. Three horses. With... Military Police soldiers riding them?

Elise frantically reached for her hood and pulled it over her head as far down as it would go to cover her face. She turned her back towards them and used a hand to pull the side of her hood further over to hide her face. Her heart had begun to race. She couldn't be seen by them.

It was until they passed that she realized she had been holding her breath. She doubled checked they were gone by peeking around the corner. She sighed in relief, she thought for sure they might have seen her face.

Her eyes traveled back to the stand. The man behind gave her an extremely curious look. Elise grabbed an apple off the stand and dug out a coin that was worth about 10 apples and gave it to him.

"Here. Keep the change." She turned and marched off in the direction she came from.

_'Why are they here? They shouldn't be here... This is bad. I need to leave before they see me.' _She headed straight back to HQ. She could risk staying and getting caught. She ate her apple once she had left the city and was on the isolated path to the building. She would have to save her trips to the village for some other time. Right now she had to stay low and stay clear of the Military Police until they left.

She spent the rest of her time alone indoors, too scared to even go outside. Of course she wasn't completely alone. The chef and other wounded soldiers were still around, put she preferred to keep to herself regardless.


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9**

The squad arrived back on a Wednesday afternoon, after 5 long harsh days of being outside the wall.

That morning Elise had been too lazy to wash her hair so instead she threw it up on the top of her head into a neat bun. She was in the study laying on the couch while reading another book when she heard the commotion outside. Putting the book on the table in front of her she stood and walked to the window. Outside a large mass of horses and carts filed into the courtyard. Excited they had returned she made her way down stairs and out the front door.

The group was noticeably smaller, many soldiers had wrapped wounds or arms in slings. It was clear the casualties they took this time were high.

She saw Hanji about 10 feet away and contemplated going to ask how the mission went. But she knew unless she wanted to listen to every single detail plus her extra inputs, she'd better find someone else to ask.

As she began to turn to leave her name was called out from behind her.

"Elise," Elise turned around. Mike Zakarius, still on his horse, towered over her. "Have you heard the news yet?"

"The news? No, I haven't heard anything." Elise narrowed her eyes in confusion.

"Wall Maria has been breached in the Shiganshina District, we're being called in to exterminate the titans that have crawled in."

"But then what are you doing here!? Everybody should be making their way there to help!" Elise, completely shocked, couldn't believe what she had just heard. A 50 meter stone wall had been broken by titans? How could that be?

"We all need to restock on gas and supplies. We also needed to notify all the injured soldiers, like you, that they will be included in this mission. We need everyone we can get, from what I've heard it's total chaos in there." Mike kept a stern and serious face.

"I still don't understand. How was the wall breached? What Titan is strong enough to break through that stone?"

"It's something we've never seen before. They're calling it the colossal titan, it was large enough to see over the wall and it used its foot to kick a hole through the gate, the weakest part of the wall." sounding a little distracted, he looked away.

Elise had more questions but she restrained herself from asking them, instead she changed the subject, "How long until we depart?"

Mike, still looking away, said, "Our ideal time is one hour. It's all we can afford."

Elise nodded firmly in understanding. She saluted him then turned and ran back into the building.

She threw on her maneuver gear harness and attached all her equipment. Once done she made her way back outside. Beyond excited for having the opportunity to join the mission, although she did admit to herself her ribs still weren't exactly what she would call healed at all.

She made her way over to the horse stables. Where she was hoping there would be an extra horse for her. Elise stopped in her tracks when she rounded the corner.

On his white horse, the commander stood in front of two other soldiers she didn't recognize. Next to him was a very familiar black horse.

Elises mouth gaped open.

Sebastian.

She walked closer. Making sure her eyes weren't playing tricks on her. "Sebastian." she said out loud. It got everyone's attention, including a very happy black horse that made a whinnying sound from his mouth.

Elise's lips pulled away from each other and revealed a sparkling smile. She ran with excitement and wrapped her arms around his neck, "Oh, Sebastian. I thought I lost you." she rubbed her face against his fur. "Commander, how did you find him?" Elise pulled away to look at Erwin.

Sebastian rubbed her face with his nose. "I didn't." He started. "He found us."

"What do you mean?" Sebastian nibbled at her hair.

"He must've recognized us because he came running up to our group and joined as we ran around. And I swear he was looking for you the whole time. He became pretty depressed after the third night of no you, so he attached himself to me. But he seems pretty excited now that you're here." The commander watched as the horse nudged and nibbled at her.

Elise smiled and pressed her forehead against Sebastians. "I'm so glad he's alright. I was really heartbroken when I thought he was gone forever. But he's here now." Elise pulled away and looked back up at Erwin. "So thank you, commander. For bringing him back."

The commander smiled greatfully, "It wasn't me who brought him back. He brought himself back. He's really some horse, I would give anything to have a horse as loyal as that one."

Elise rubbed his neck, after a silence she said, "I guess I'll go give him food and water and prep him for the journey then."

"No need, I just had these two take care of it. They just brought him back." the commander referred to the soldiers in front of them.

Elise smiled at them, but said nothing. Walking to Sebastian's side, she put a foot in a stirrup and pulled herself aboard, "Great, then we're ready to depart."

**Authors note: **

**Sorry for taking so long to update then uploading an uneventful chapter. I've had pretty bad writers block. I know exactly what I want to happen but I'm struggling finding the right way to write it out. Anyway, I love your guys's feedback so please review! Thanks!**


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter 11**

The squad rode to the district of Trost, making their way through the town to reach the nearest gate that would release them towards the Shiganshina District. When they reached the gate everything came to a hault. The gate did not open, and the commander was pulled away from the group by members of the garrison to talk. It soon became clear the situation had changed. Somehow somewhere something went terribly wrong.

An announcement was made not soon after.

"Wall Maria has been completely breached! Titans are making their way through towards wall Rose as we speak!" The commander yelled to make sure everyone could hear him clearly. "Our objectives have changed! We will ride in and help evacuate everyone to the inner wall, killing as many titans as we can in the process!"

Everybody was split up into groups. Hanji and Mike took the fastest among all the soldiers and departed both to the East and West. Erwin assigned the most skilled to Rivaille's team. All the other leftover soldiers were assigned to Erwin's group.

Rivaille's team, that Elise had been assigned to, would deploy out of the wall first. They would ride forward toward Shiganshina, delivering the message to all towns that haven't been invaded yet then help evacuate towns that have come under attack safely. When the group encountered the first Titan they would fire off a green smoke round to show how far the titans had already made it in. That's also when Erwin would deploy with his group to come provide back up for Rivaille's team.

After officially departing, all was clear for miles. Only making two stops to break the news to towns and make an order to retreat to the inner wall. When they reached their third town Rivaille fired off the smoke round. Titans had already begun to invade, the sound of people screaming and of children crying traveled through the air.

"Everyone, switch to 3D maneuver gear." Rivaille's voice ordered to the squad.

Elise released her reins and grabbed the handles from her harness. "Stay here, Sebastian. No running away this time." She flew up onto the roof a builder where everyone stood.

"Evacuate the town. Kill any titans in sight," Rivaille gave the official order. No emotion in his voice or on his face.

Everybody's voice sang together, "Yes, Sir!"

Everybody took off in different directions.

Elise found a 7 meter class Titan to her right. She flew behind it and sent it to the ground with ease. She found another Titan and killed it swiftly. Then another.. 3,4,5, she killed one after the other. The area seemed to be free of people.

After killing her fifth titan, her nearby surroundings were clear. She took a moment to stand on top of a building and look around. Straight south she saw 4 titans crowded in one area. Narrowing her eyes to see better, she made out a small green object. A soldier was alone with the huge group.

Elise took action and projected herself forward. Even she would have trouble killing that many titans when they were all clumped together in one spot. The soldier that stood ahead of her flew into the air. Swinging in front of a titan then behind it, slicing their blades through the back of it's neck.

She heard a masculine voice yell from where he was standing, "What do you think you're doing? Run, already!"

Elise was sure he wasn't yelling at her. His voice was directed to an unseen object on the ground.

"Run, you damned kid!" He jump away from a titan hand.

Elise took the opportunity to swoop in and kill a titan while it was distracted. While still spinning she landed on the closest roof. When she stopped she locked eyes with the soldier on the roof parallel to her.

It was the corporal. Surprise and slight confusion on his face as his narrowed eyes locked on Elise. Elise didn't want to look at the corporal, she moved her eyes to the ground.

A small helpless child sat on the ground, tears running down his face. Shaking in fear, paralyzed. Her protective instincts kicked in and she jumped and ran for the crying boy. She swooped him up into her arms and quickly made for higher grounds. Behind her she could hear the hiss of two blades and the sound of meat being cut.

She landed on top of a building and pulled the boy away to look at him, "Are you okay?" she swiftly inspected him, "Why are you all alone? Where are your parents?"

The boy cried. Only glancing at her twice with tear-filled eyes.

Elise pulled the boy back to her chest, shushing him, and softly rubbed his head, "It's going to be okay. We'll find them, they're probably retreating with the rest of the town, you're parents are fine, and you're going to be okay, too." She was going on pure assumptions. She prayed they weren't dead or he had not seen then get devoured.

A thud of two feet landing echoed behind her. "Elise, we don't have time for that. Erwin's team will be here soon to help him retreat. Leave him here and they'll take care of it."

She turned to look at Rivaille. "No. I'm not going to leave him here by himself. I'll bring him to the Northern part of town where everyone is gathered to retreat."

"We must go keep going. We can't stop. This is an order, leave him here. We're moving forward." Rivaille growled at her in annoyance.

"I'm bringing him to his parents," Elise stood, the boy in her arms.

"How do you suppose you're going to use the 3DMG? Or let alone draw a blade to defend yourself, quite acting stupid and follow my orders," Rivaille was pissed. He seemed stressed about the situation.

With both handles in one hand Elise pulled both levers and flew forward. She knew she would probably pay the price for breaking orders later, but she was more concerned about other things. She also wanted to stay separated from Rivaille, the thought of him made something inside her tickle.

No titans were in sight. Elise made good time flying from building to building. Up ahead Elise watched as a blob of green jumped from the ground up onto a roof. She recognized it as a female soldier from Erwin's team.

The female soldier watch Elise as she flew through the air and landed in front if her. "Elise, why are you this far back? Is everything okay?" the female soldier walked closer to her.

"Yes, everything is fine. Our group is working on advancing." she paused and looked at the crying boy, "I found this poor guy all alone, he was separated from his parents. Please bring him to find them." Elise pulled the boy away from her and extended her arms outward.

The soldier took him in her arms. "How awful. I'll stay with him until we find them."

Elise started walking backwards, while nodding her head she said, "Okay, thank you."

The soldiers face turned to pure horror. Her eyes expanded wide and her mouth gaped open. She found it hard to make her jaw move to form words.

"E... Elise!" an arm reached out for her.

Elise, who was still facing the two others, had her eyebrows pulled together in confusion. Her vision went pitch black as she heard a deafening crash, the roof underneath her feet shook and threw her down. Wooden beams and shingles flew around and crashed.

An 11 meter titan had his teeth buried deeply into the building. It's whole mouth engulfing dissembled pieces of the building along with Elise who was somewhere lost in all the debris.

**Author's Note:**

**I'm sorry. I JUST LOVE CLIFFHANGERS.**


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11**

With her surroundings pitch black, Elise frantically searched for any light. She had no success. The air around her was hot and stunk to the point of nausea.

The ground she put her hands on was warm, squishy, and wet. Something sticky stuck to her hands as she pulled them away. Her face fell into terror as the answer to her situation came to mind.

_'This can't be... The area was clear of titans... Wasn't it?' _her thoughts were interrupted by what felt like an earthquake.

The sound of a building breaking could be heard through the barrier she was behind. She grabbed wooden planks that were beside her for stability. Slowly, light began to shine in. It seeped in from behind her as the titans mouth pulled away from the building.

She watched as she got higher and higher into the air. Her opportunity of jumping out to safety we slipping through her fingers. Elise forced her paralyzed body to move. She pulled herself forward to the edge of it's mouth. Grabbing it's teeth to pull herself.

But she was stuck. A large wooden beam held her left foot down. It did not crush or break her foot but pinned it solid so she could not move it.

She rolled onto her back. She feared the titan would close his mouth at any moment. With her head resting on it's bottom teeth she shook with horror.

Elise finally reached down and grabbed a hold of a blade to her side. She held it vertically and shoved it into the nook between two of it's teeth. She knew it wouldn't hold for long but it was better than nothing. Wasting no time she tried setting her foot free. She pulled, thrashed, wiggled, but nothing prevailed.

From below her she could hear her name being called out by the female soldier. When Elise looked back up the blade started bending under the pressure. With no other ideas left she brought her right leg up and placed the bottom of her boot to the titans teeth. Using all the Strength she had to hold the titans mouth open.

Through gritted teeth she grunted and held back a scream that built up in her throat. She told herself there was no getting out of this one. Not with her given situation. And that this was it. Her life would end right here, in vain, with no real contribution to humanity.

The blade she held to it's teeth shattered to pieces. A small scream escaped from surprise. Her leg started bending further and further. Forcing her body to fold and curl together.

Elise's mouth came open and only a short scream came at first from pain, then an ear piercing screech from desperation as the titans mouth came further down.

"Heichou!" The female soldier called to him as he approached the scene. Before she could blink, the corporal was behind the titan and slicing his blades through it's neck.

Elise felt the titans weight shift as it swayed to it's left. She pulled herself fully inside the titans mouth and covered her head with both arms. Her body flew to the left as the titan fell.

When the titan crashed, so did she. Her body smashing into the side of the titans cheek. The rumble and debris that was inside crashed with her, moving the beam that held her leg and setting it free.

She opened her clenched eyes.

Light came in from above through an opening between the titans teeth. Suddenly a shadow blocked that light. The figure dropped down to their knees and leaned forward to peer into the mouth. "Elise! Are you okay?"

Elise squinted her eyes, trying her best to peer through the darkness, with a shaky voice she asked, "Rivaille?" She attempted to push herself up but her hands slipped from underneath her from the saliva. "Rivaille. Get me out of here!"

"Grab my hand," Rivaille extended his arm into the mouth of the titan. Leaning in as far as he could.

Elise tried standing herself up again. This time using the debris to her advantage for keeping balance. Once upright she looked above towards Rivaille's extended hand, which was far above her. Pushing up on her tip toes, she reached as high as she could.

Their fingertips brushed, her fingers sliding off the end of his. Elise strained her calves more to push herself up. This time their hands folded into each others but the saliva on her hand caused them to slip apart. She pushed up again immediately and grabbed as tight as she could. Rivaille did the same and squeezed tight so she didn't fall again.

When Rivaille pulled her high enough up she used her other hand to latch onto the fabric on his jacket, while simultaneously he reached under her armpit and around to her back to pull her all the way out.

Elise launched herself forward and around Rivaille. Her arms squeezing him tight as she buried her face into his chest. "Rivaille," She sobbed. "I was so scared. I thought I was going to die."

The corporal who was hesitant at first placed a hand on her back. Then slowly placed one on her head, holding her in place.

A sigh escaped his lips, "Stupid, girl. Am I going to have to save you every mission?"

Elise's shaking body clung to him tighter. She recalled seeing her life flash before her eyes, giving up all hope she would have made it out alive. She thought for sure there was no surviving this one. But then a miracle came, and saved her. And for that, she would be forever grateful.

**P.S.**

**Elise's big secret is going to be revealed very soon! ~~~ 3**


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter 12**

The order was given to retreat. There were not enough soldiers to fight the amount of titans that have invaded into the land. The majority of the towns had been evacuated by boat or by foot. Though there were many that no soldiers had gone to rescue.

Elise and Rivaille found their horses where they left them and rode North to regroup with the rest of the squad. No time was wasted as the group departed for wall Rose.

"I don't agree with this retreat, Erwin," Rivaille was bothered, annoyance on his face.

"This was our safest option," The commander defended himself.

"What was the point of this little excursion if the only reason we let our men die was to run away scared with our tails between our legs?"

"Those men did not die in vain. They helped rescue countless citizens. It is because of their sacrifices that we were allowed to progress to where we are now." Erwin hoped his point would makes it's way through Rivaille's thick head.

"And where are we now?" The corporal wasn't going to let go of the fact that all the progress they have just made was being intentionally thrown away. "On our knees as the titans bend over and force us to kiss their asses."

Erwin was silent.

"There were still towns we hadn't made it to. How do you expect me to agree with you when the people there were counting on us to come and save them." Rivailles voice growled at Erwin. His eyebrows pulled together in rage. "They were counting on us. Instead we turned our back towards them and left them for dead."

Erwin's face showed no emotional change. As if none of the words Rivaille said effected him. "I thought you leaned to trust all my decisions."

"Trust, yes. But agree, no. I will always follow any orders you give me. Even if I don't agree with them." Rivailles voice was not as rough. "Because I trust your judgment."

Elise had never witnessed the commander and corporal talking to each other in this type of manor. It was different to her but yet it didn't surprise her. It occurred to her that what Rivaille said was true. People were expecting them to rescue them, to help control the situation. But instead the army that had sworn to protect humanity was leaving them for dead, abandoning their only job.

It made a fire grow inside of her, and she could understand why Rivaille was so upset over it.

The group reconvened with Hanji and Mike's group that suffered little to no casualties. Whereas it was the opposite with Rivaille and Erwin's group. Very little of them had survived. An amount they were not expecting to lose. The journey back dragged on in a state of sorrowed silence. Not many words were spoken, and when there was they were cautious whispers between oblivious soldiers.

They arrived back at twilight. The rim of the sky burned a crimson red.

After placing Sebastian in his stall in the stables, Elise finally relieved herself of the weight of the maneuver gear. She contemplated visiting the corporal. To properly thank him for showing up when he did.

Her heart told her yes, but she told herself no. That wasn't the type of person she was. And besides, she saw the look on the corporals face. He wouldn't want to be bothered right now anyway. He probably just wanted to be alone.

Elise made off to her room and decided she would just go to sleep right away instead.

Elise laid in her bed motionless as her mind ran everywhere. Every time she closed her eyes she found herself forcing them open again. Again and again she thought about Rivaille and how he had saved her. The continuous memory hovered in her mind. Preventing any type of sleep to come over her.

After an hour she finally decided to get out if bed. She put her regular pants and T-shirt back on and headed out the door. Not even fully aware of what she was doing her sub conscience lead her through the halls.

She walked straight for the corporals office. Light from a candle shone through the bottom of the office door. Her silent footsteps came to a halt. She timidly approached the door.

Elise knocked softly. Being careful to not be too loud because of the other rooms beside her.

There was only silence.

She knocked again, a tad louder this time.

Still, nothing broke the silence. She stood motionless for a minute. She grabbed the handle in front of her. Goosebumps grew on her body, the hair on her arms and the back of her neck stood straight. She could feel the adrenaline course through her body as she turned the handle and pushed the door open.

Sitting in his chair, was a sleeping heichou. His arms were slightly bent lying in front of him on his desk. His head was turned toward the side, a cheek pressing against a piece of paperwork he had been filling out. A hand still lazily pinched a pen in place.

The scene made Elise's heart melt. He looked so cute and peaceful. All memories she had of the corporal frowning and scowling were replaced with the soft and relaxed expression he wore now.

He looked so peaceful Elise debating on if she should wake him up or not. He seemed content, but she knew it must be uncomfortable to sleep in that position, and in full uniform at that.

Her footsteps barely made a sound as she walked to the other side of his desk. She placed a hand on the desk for support and leaned down to his eye level.

She place her other hand tentatively on his back, "Heichou."

No response.

"Heichou," she gently shook him. When she stopped it seemed as if he was going to wake up. His eyelids fluttered, but stayed closed.

Elise paused for a moment. "Rivaille heichou."

After a few seconds his eyelids fluttered all the way open. He store past her into the distance at first, still waking up. He slowly shifted his gaze to Elise, his eyelids still droopy.

Elise pulled away, standing up straight.

Rivaille followed her action, raising his head lazily.

Elise laughed to herself and a small smile crept onto her face. The paper the corporal had fallen asleep on stuck to his face. She reached for it and gently pulled it off. Then placed it onto the desk.

Rivaille said nothing, only staring at Elise with a tired expression.

With a soft smile, Elise extended her hand in front of him.


	13. Chapter 13

**Chapter 13**

The morning sun greeted Elise with a beam of light on her face. Finally waking her up after a much needed solid night of sleep.

She yawned and stretched her body before cracking her eyes open. In the corner of her eye she caught sight of multiple brown and white blotches from uniforms.

Flinching, she looked to her side. Her mouth fell open in disbelief, completely unable to form words. She felt her heart skip a beat then stop completely. Three soldiers she hoped she'd never have to see were there in front of her.

The one she feared most sat in the chair, his arms folded across his chest. Staring intently at Elise. A soldier flanked him on each side.

Elise slowly pushed herself up so she wasn't lying on her back. She was genuinely scared. Her biggest nightmare was becoming reality.

Nile Dawk had found her.

"Three years we've been searching for you." Nile broke the silence. "And this is where you've been. You've been this close the whole time, right under our noses, in the military."

Elise didn't speak. She was still afraid of what might happen to her now. She glanced to the window, then the door. Contemplating running. But Nile knew what she was thinking.

"Don't even try to run away. It'll only be futile."

Elise focused her eyes on her bed sheets. Staring silent for a moment, "How did you find me?"

Nile smirked, "It was completely coincidental. One of my soldiers said he thought he saw you while on the expedition to evacuate Wall Maria." He paused, staring her down. "I never thought you'd join the army. Or change your name."

Elise twiddled her fingers, "Only my last name."

"Well it was enough to fool us."

"Well it doesn't take much," Elise found herself funny, smiling to herself on the inside. Even though she was afraid of Nile, she knew he couldn't touch her.

Nile, who was already irate, stood from his chair. "We've already done the honor of packing all your things. Your horse is also already prepped to ride. I think it's time we head back to the inner wall now, you've been away long enough to worry your father sick. Are you going to come quietly?"

Elise sat still in her bed. There was nothing she could do. There was no escaping this. She didn't want to say it, she hated to say it. But the word escaped through her lips, "Yes."

"Good. Let's not waste any time-"

"On one condition." Elise interrupted Nile. Finally making eye contact with him. Nile waited for her proposal. "I want to speak to Commander Smith first."

Nile thought about it, debating her request. "Fine. But I'll worn you now. We talked to him before we came here. He already knows everything."

Elise was saddened by the fact that the commander had to find out the truth from somebody else, but now she had the chance to straighten things out. There's always two sides to a story. She wanted to make sure the commander heard hers.

The four of them made their way discretely toward Erwin's office. Being sure to avoid any eyes that could see them. Nile insisted on entering the room with her while the other two wait outside the door just for extra precaution. Elise didn't mind much.

When they arrived to his office unseen they knocked and entered after permission. Elise walked through the door first. She was wearing a black floor length cloak that engulfed her small body. Erwin look at her as though he had been longing to see her.

"Erwin-" Erwin held his hand up to stop her. Without saying anything, he sore at Elise.

"You know. I had my suspicions. But I thought it was just crazy thinking." Erwin stood from his chair behind the desk. "That there was no way you could be her." He paused. "But yet it was so convenient that you, a girl from the inner wall, joined the army around the same time she went missing."

"I don't want anybody knowing the truth." Elise announced before he could continue. Erwin was slightly surprised. "As you may already know, I am heading back to inside the capital. People are going to wonder why I've so suddenly disappeared." She was quiet for a brief moment. "I don't want you telling anyone the truth. You can tell them anything you can come up with as towards why I left, I don't care what. Nobody must know who I really am."

The commander stood quietly. "Is that your final request of me?"

"Yes."

"Then so be it. I can't really say no can I?" Erwin made his way to stand in front of Elise. "I want you to know something." He store down at her. His voice understanding. "I agree with the choice you made. Not everyone would do what you have done. It was an incredibly brave decision. And I respect you for that." A warm smile graced his face.

It warmed Elise's heart to know that her commanding officer was on her side. That he understood. "Thank you, commander." She gave him a salute. "I won't ever forget you. Nor will I ever forget about the scouting legion, I will do everything within my power to aid you whenever you are in need of assistance."

Erwin reached for the hand in front of her heart and pulled it down. Elise gave him a confused look. Suddenly she was violently pulled forward into his body, becoming completely engulfed in his large arms.

A worried gasp sound escaped Nile's mouth and he flinched forward an inch. He wasn't completely sure the commander was allowed to do that. He did know who he was hugging, right?

Elise was equally as shocked by the action. Standing frozen while being pinned against his chest. After a few moments she relaxed and allowed herself to hug him back, gentle hands placing themselves to his jacket.

Her throat became dry, and she felt a lump starting to form. She immediately repressed it, she couldn't cry over this. This simple goodbye.

Nile cleared his throat. "We must be heading out now. The journey will take us all day." His voice had a tone of annoyance.

The commander released her of his grip but kept his hands on her shoulders to hold her in place and look at her. "We'll all miss you. Good luck on your return, and have a safe journey."

Elise nodded. Erwin had dropped his arms and she began to walk away. Stopping once she got beside Nile. "Promise me you won't tell anyone the truth."

"You have my word."

"Good. Just remember who you made a promise with. Break it and I'll break you." Elise continued walking. Going straight out the door with Nile right behind her. Erwin smiled and chuckled to himself. Thinking it was just like her to avoid a sad goodbye with a fully loaded threat.

* * *

The journey was long and exhausting. They traveled less popular routes to try and stay low. Elise was forced to wear the oversized cloak pulled all the way around her and with the hood over her head so her face was unseen.

The troops formed a circle around her. Trapping her inside. She spent the majority of her time looking down, staring and her hands or part of the saddle. Wondering how the future reunion was going to play out. How her father was going to react. It made her shudder. She tried changing the subject. Tried thinking about anything else.

Like why the sky was blue. Or how the sun was a total mystery. What were clouds? Her brain didn't attach to any other the ideas. Instead it brought it to her promise with Erwin. To her true identity. What was he going to tell people? What was he going to tell Mike, or Hanji... Or Rivaille. The thought of his name made her heart drop. She never knew her heart could feel to hollow. How was he going to react? What was Erwin going to say to him? What was he going to think of her? Especially after what had happened the night before.

How could she let this happen.

The sun had just set completely when they entered the Royal Capital. They were almost there. It wouldn't be long now until Elise was home. They made their way through gates that were burned into her memory. The stone walls of her house in front if her never looked so huge.

The soldiers got off their horses. Nile walked to offer assistance for Elise to get off her horse. To which she coldly brushed aside and slipped off herself.

Their horses were escorted away as they all approached the towering looming doors. Guards who stood in front pulled at their handles and forced then open. Being blinded my the light at first Elise covered her face with her hands. Slowing allowing light shine through her fingers for her eyes to adjust.

Elise looked straight up and allowed her hood to fall off her head. Pulling away her hands as she focused back forward. And there her father, the king, stood before her in disbelief.


	14. Chapter 14

**Chapter 14**

_Elise extended her hand out in front of him. "Would you like help up?" a small smile still gracing her face. _

_Rivaille focused on the palm that hung there. Eyeing its flowing curves and soft appearance. Rivaille grabbed around her wrist gently and pulled her hand down. _

_Elise didn't know what to think of this. She pondered what he was thinking. _

_With droopy eyes he store at her palm. An action that made Elise slightly uncomfortable. What was he staring at? _

_While still holding her hand down he looked up to meet with her gaze. "Why did you come here?" _

_The question threw her off guard. That's right, she had a reason for coming here in the first place. "I came to say thank you." it came out as a whisper. "For saving my life." _

_Rivaille's facial expression didn't change. He seemed disappointed. He silently store at her, he was waiting for her to say more. "Is that the only reason?" _

_Again, Elise was surprised. What did he mean? The only reason? She thought for a moment. Was he asking her if she didn't just come to say thank you? "I guess not..." were the words that slipped through her lips. _

_"Then tell me. Why did you come here?" The atmosphere in the room had shifted. Elise felt nervous, put on the spot. This wasn't the Rivaille she saw during the day. The one who kept a constant scowl and gave orders left and right. This Rivaille was calm, but still demanding. "I guess it's because... I couldn't sleep before seeing you first."_

* * *

Rivaille awoke at his regular time of 7:00 AM that morning. He groaned to himself and swung his legs over the edge of his bed. Running a hand through his hair in the process. Thoughts from last nights escapades still hung in his head. Causing him to become easily distracted.

He dressed at his normal pace. In the same order he did every morning. He began his day by reporting to Erwin like he did every morning. Erwin welcomed him with a good morning and with the usual small talk. Nothing out of the ordinary.

The corporal made way to his office soon after to finish some paperwork that had not gotten done the night before. Throughout the day a constant fog blocked his train of thought. It flustered him he had not yet seen Elise so far. Hadn't she said last night that she would see him in the morning. He told himself she probably got called to do some time consuming chore.

Yet, she did not show up for lunch either. He ignored it and continued his day like usual. It was when it came time for diner that Rivaille really begun to wonder.

Elise was still nowhere to be found. He began to rethink if last night actually happened or not. If maybe he had just dreamt the while thing.

"Say Erwin," Hanji, who was sitting across from him, disrupted his thought. He focused his gaze on the woman. "Elise was supposed to help me with some organizing today in a lab but she never showed up. Then when I went to look for her but I couldn't find her. I checked in her room and everything. Did you send her out for errands or something? She hasn't been around. She didn't re-injure herself again, did she!?"

The question perked Rivailles attention. He made it discrete that he was eaves dropping on their conversation.

Erwin placed his spoon down and store quietly for a moment. The moment he had been dreading had come. He spoke in a regretful tone. "Elise has run away from the corps. It was discovered she packed all her things and took off with her horse in the middle of the night. Nobody saw her leave but it's the best conclusion we have come up with."

Rivaille froze. Did he hear him correctly?

Hanji gasped in shock. Her jaw falling to the floor before yelling in protest, "There's no way! That can't he true! Elise loved it here! She loved fighting titans and participating in missions! There's no way I can believe that!"

"It's true." Erwin's voice was stern. Hanji could feel the rumble of his voice in her stomach.

"I-... I just can't. Why would she run away? I don't understand. I refuse to believe it until I hear it from an eye witness!"

"I saw it." Rivaille's voice came. Erwin's face was just as surprised as Hanji's. He wasn't expecting Rivaille to play along. Did he know the truth as well? "We spoke late last night. I gave no thought as towards why she had been wandering around at that time of night. I didn't think anything suspicious of it." The way Rivaille's face pulled together in concentrated as he recalled the events told Erwin he was not playing along. They actually had seen each other last night.

Hanji let her head drop in disappointment. Her eyes falling in sadness. A silence fell over their table.

"I'm sorry, commander. I should have questioned what she was doing instead of letting her continue." Rivaille pushed away from the table, his chair screeching against the floor in an ugly pitch. He stood and left the room. Neither of them stopping him.


	15. Chapter 15

**Chapter 15**

Elise's father store in disbelief. His daughter that had been missing for 3 years was now standing in front of him. The moment overwhelmed him. "Elise?" He whispered in doubt. "Elise, is it really you?"

Elise wasn't expecting tears to form in her eye but they did and gathered in the corners waiting to escape. She nodded to him.

Her father ran forward and embraced her as tight as he could. "Oh, god. Elise! You're alive, you're okay!" he had started crying as he held her tightly against him. "We've been searching for you for years! I've been so worried! Why would you run away!? Why!? Where did you go!?"

Elise held back her tears the best she could. Only two stay tears-one from each eye- fell down her face. "I'm sorry."

"Why, Elise, why would you run away like that? I thought you were dead! I thought some thug had killed you and gotten rid of your body! Can you imagine the pain you put me through! I thought I would never see you again!" He wasn't going to let Elise go anytime soon.

"I'm sorry. Everything's okay now." But she knew it was everything but okay. Her father was very upset. Which never turned out well in the past.

The king pulled away to look at Elise's face. He cupped both her cheeks with his hands. "Everything is not okay. Elise, how could you do that! How could you just up and leave? Only leaving behind a letter that said you were running away and not to worry. How is that okay?" Elise was expecting drama. But she wasn't expecting this. A full emotional breakdown.

"I'm sorry." She repeated. She cursed Nile for finding her and bringing her home. Only a very small group of people in the military police had ever seen Elise's face and one of them just had to be there during a mission to see her? What were the odds of that happening.

Elise and her father embraced each other for a full 20 minutes before he let her go. His tears stained the pajama shirt she still had on from that morning. He called for one of Elise's long time servants. The lady, Greta, a women who Elise had known all her life, escorted her to the washroom by order of the king.

"I am very pleased you have returned, Hime-Sama." Greta walked in front of her through the halls. The formal title made Elise uncomfortable. True, she had grown up only hearing it but now she found it unnecessary. After no response she continued, "Your father seems very happy you're back home."

Elise knew he was genuinely happy she had returned. But she knew deep down he was angry as well. He was a very controlling and strict person. She knew her little scandal wouldn't go unpunished. There had to be some consequence for her unacceptable action. "It's nice to see you again, Greta." Elise whispered, intending to end the conversation.

It had always been tradition for Greta or some other maid to bathe Elise. But she now realized how insane it was. Never before would she have thought it embarrassing or abnormal. But 3 years of living as a civilian changed her whole point of view.

She insisted on bathing herself and washing her own hair but Greta did not budge. Elise got her to at lease allow her to undress herself and wait until she was fully submerged under the water before she came in to help. A ritual she had once loved was replaced by an scene that made her more than uncomfortable. The room itself became heavy from the tense feeling of awkward silence and lack of communication. Though she found the way Greta massaged at her skull to be very relaxing. In fact, she was enjoying so much that her eyes had begun to droop and her mind began to float away.

She was suddenly jerked from her tranquil state when Greta gasped in horror and made a noise of appall. With wide eyes, Elise flinched up and twisted her head to face her.

"Hime-Sama! What has happened to your torso!?" The woman grabbed Elise's arm and pulled her up so she could see more of her body. "Who has done this to you!? Does it hurt!? It looks serious, we should call for a doctor right away!"

"No!" Elise yelled at her last question. She covered as much of herself as she could with her free arm. "I mean... This is nothing. You don't have to worry about it. You don't have to tell my father either."

Greta looked at her as if she were crazy. Uncertainty painted on her face. "Hime-Sama, how did this happen?"

Elise finally registered the constant ache in her ribs. She had been so distracted that she didn't even realize a pain coursed through her chest. "Greta, you are not to mention this to anyone. Is that understood?" It wasn't often Elise would make an order.

A knock sounded into the room from the door. A voice followed, "Hime-Sama. Your father has sent me to summon you to diner."

"I'll be down shortly." Elise waited until she heard footsteps leaving before speaking again. "You will not say a word to my father." She warned to Greta. Greta had no other choice than to nod in agreement.

Elise dressed into a casual dress that Greta had waiting for her. It was a bright red dress with white lace decoration running along seams and edges. It was much to her displeasure.

She celebrated silently to the thought of food. She hadn't eaten all day. No thanks to Nile. Her father stood from his chair when she entered the room.

"Ah. Much better. This look suits you much better than those dirty rags." He admired her appearance then continued, "Please, come take a seat. I had the chefs prepare your favorite meal. Wouldn't want it going cold now." he spoke at a fast pace. He pulled the closest chair to him out and motioned for her to come sit.

Elise already knew she wasn't going to enjoy this diner. She had no doubt that the food would be good, it was the conversation she feared. She took her seat quietly.

There was an absurd amount of food on the table, it ranged from chicken, mashed potatoes, fish, soup, bread, cheese on a platter, pastries, and even some grapes and other rare and valuable citrus fruits. It appalled her that so much food was prepared just for the two of them. This amount of food could feed at least 20 people.

"Why the sad face, Elise? You should be happy, you're at home. Where you belong." He said the last sentence with extra emphasis.

Elise stabbed at her potatoes with her fork. Why the sad face? Was she supposed to be happy? She had run away for a reason.

Her father sighed, "Elise. I'm trying to be reasonable." He was starting to get upset. So far he had remained calm, which Elise was thankful for.

Elise remained silent. He father sighed again. Calming himself. "So," he started. "Where were you hiding this whole time?"

Her eyebrows pulled together in confusion. Hadn't Nile told him where he found her? Or did he already know? Was he testing her to see if she would tell the truth?

She hesitated for a moment. Then regretfully answered, "I was in the military."

By her fathers reaction she guessed he already knew. He placed down the chicken he was eating and wiped his mouth with his napkin. She knew it was coming.

"Are you crazy, Elise!?" He shouted slamming down his hand on the table. Elise flinched, then grimaced from the pain in her ribs. "You left to join the military!? Did you have a death wish? What were you thinking? Tell Me!"

This was the true moment she was dreading. The moment he got angry and revealed his true colors, yelled at her until he got answers. Elise wasn't sure what to say.

"The _military._" He hissed in disgust and shook his head in disappointment. "Make yourself useful, did you? Can't imagine you were much help to them, a spoiled little girl. Tell me, how far did you make it? Wait, wait, wait. Let me guess. You ran away about almost 3 years ago. It takes 3 years to officially become a soldier. So I would bet you were just about to graduate. What division were you planning on joining?"

He was waiting for an answer. It made Elise angry, he had no idea how wrong he was. She wanted to prove him wrong by telling him everything she had accomplished. But she decided not to. She would use his lack of knowledge against him. Keeping it a secret would be fine for now.

Elise avoided his eyes and asked, "Where is Felix?"

"Do not try to change the subject! Answer the question, Elise."

She sighed quietly to herself. "I wanted to join the Scouting Legion. So I could go outside of the walls."

He sighed again. Rubbing the bridge of his nose. "You should be grateful Nile found you when he did." Yeah, she would keep that in mind. "Leaving these walls is the worst decision one can make! Do you want to know why so many members of the Scouting Legion die? It's because they willing leave the walls that protect them. They're mindless idiots. They never make any progress and they're completely hopeless. Do you want to know why I keep funding them? It's because they help with population control. The more of them that die the better the news for me. With them around I don't even need to worry about controlling the population myself, they kill themselves willingly. Hell, they've even already helped our recent overpopulation problem by going into wall Maria while those titans swarmed in. But not nearly enough of them died to of made a significant difference."

Elise covered her mouth with her hand. She wanted to cover her ears. It made her sick to her stomach, she had to hold back tears. All the soldiers she had gotten to know, the commander, Hanji, Mike, Rivaille. He couldn't care any less about them. In fact he would celebrate their death.

Her lower lip trembled as she took a breath in. Then she pursed them together to control her breathing.

"Do you understand now?" He sighed annoyed. "The military is just a waste of time. Only those who have a death wish join. Your place is here, safe at home, behind the walls."

Elise sat silently, slightly trembling. Her rage and grief mixing together.

She always knew he didn't care for the military and for the soldiers who fought for them. But this was far beyond what she had predicted. He was selfish, as long as he was okay he didn't care about the rest.

Elise stood rapidly from her chair as soon her tears had begun to spill over. Her father called after her as she ran out of the room and up the stairs. Dashing to her bedroom and locking the door behind her.

She cried herself to sleep that night.

**Hurray for an update 2 days in a row! :D**


	16. Chapter 16

**Chapter 16**

The next morning Elise was awoken by rapid knocking on her door. She had no idea what time it was, the only thing she registered was the sound of Greta's voice.

"Hime-Sama, please unlock your door." she knocked again. "It's time to wake up." Elise rolled over in her bed, moaning in displeasure. Greta knocked again. But this time she didn't stop. She continuously knocked.

Elise pushed herself up with a groan of agitation. Throwing her covers off to her side she slide off the bed and marched to her door. Still half asleep she fumbled with the lock then pulled the door open.

"Oh, good. You're awake." Greta made her way passed Elise with a tray of food. She gently placed it down on a table near by.

"Yeah, thanks to you." Elise rubbed her eyes.

"Here is your breakfast. I'll leave you alone to eat it while I prepare a hot towel for you," Greta made her way out.

Elise shoveled the food in her mouth. She was famished from eating little to no food yesterday at dinner. She couldn't remember the last time she ate a breakfast this good. This was one thing she did miss. No food could compare to what she ate here.

When Greta returned she washed Elise's face with the hot towel. Then proceeded onto brushing out her hair. Greta grimaced after each stroke. Strand after fell off and onto the ground.

"Hime-Sama, your beautiful hair is so damaged. It's been so neglected the past couple years."

Elise knew that was probably true, but she really didn't care much. Greta styled her hair into a formal updo with a braid here and there. With a couple of purposefully left behind stands curled in front of her ears. She dressed into a gorgeous white and pink ball gown. Which was still to her displeasure.

She didn't dare leave her room that day. She had no desire to go walk around or to converse with her father. She found ways to entertain herself by reading her old diary, or looking through old jewelry, or just lying on her bed, starring at the ceiling.

She was brought lunch at noon and sat with the company of Greta. They talked some but Greta soon left claiming she had work to help with in the kitchen. Elise spent hours rummaging through her room. She dug up old pictures she had drew when she was really young, 7 she guessed. When she had big dreams of being a princess. She pulled one out that had a castle in the background, surrounded by green grass and vibrant flowers. Standing in a line, holding hands, was Elise, her mother, her father, then Felix was on the ground next to him. They all had different shaped crowns on their head. All of them had smiles drawn on their faces.

The picture made her smile but caused her heart to ache. Her mother... It had been 7 years since she had passed. And then Felix... Where was he? Why wasn't he around? Surprisingly no tears came to her eyes. She had accepted her mothers death long ago.

Her train of thought was interrupted by a commotion outside. Multiple neighs of horses and the sound of hooves to stone echoed in through her balcony. Curious, Elise stood and made her way out onto the platform. She had to look down and to her left to see the group of people at the main door.

_'Visitors? Who could be visiting here?'_

She retreated back inside her room. She'd decided she had been pent up in her room long enough and it was time she walked around. It was the perfect opportunity, if her father saw her he wouldn't make any type of scene or reveal any negative emotions in front of guest.

Leaving her room she made her way down the hall towards the stairs. Every step she took sent a loud _click_ echoing through the hall from her heeled boots. She made her way carefully down the stairs, gripping the railing for support. The stairs lead to a hallway that opened up into the main grand foyer where the king would sit on his throne.

She silently shuffled through the hall, she could hear voices up ahead. She made out one to be her fathers. The other... She couldn't pinpoint, though it sounded familiar. She emerged from the hallway. Her father sat in his throne. Ahead of him was someone she couldn't believe was here. He heart skipped a beat and goosebumps rose on her skin.

The commander. Her eyes were wide with shock. They both noticed her presence and turned to look, halting their conversation. Erwin was taken back. Elise looked so different. He gracefully fell down on his right knee and placed an open hand over his heart. Dropping his head ever so slightly and closing his eyes.

Elise blushed at the action. Her commanding officer was bowing before her. It felt wrong. She held back the urge to solute him.

Elise's father regarded her with a glare. "Elise," he started, enthusiasm in his voice, "How kind of you to join us. This is Commander Erwin Smith. He is the commander of the Scouting Legion." He gestured toward the commander.

Erwin kept his position, but raised his head, "It is an honor to be in your presence, Princess."

Elise shuffled her feet, she was uncomfortable. "Please, stand." She didn't understand. Why would the commander be here? Could it be that her father had actually known about her graduating early and joining the Scouting Legion? Did he summon him here to ask him about her?

The commander stood back up on two feet. He held his hands respectfully behind his back. Elise noticed he had been stripped of his 3DMG and his blades, probably for their safety.

"I have brought him here today to discuss a request I have made to him."

* * *

Elise waited patiently outside the meeting room. She was not allowed to be present during their discussion. She didn't have the slightest clue as towards what they were talking about, her curiosity drove her crazy. Despite her nerves she sat patiently in a chair that was against the wall in the hallway.

She didn't have to wait as long as was expecting. Only one hour. She rose from her chair when she heard the door click then swing open.

"Yes," The commander answered and unheard question. "Thank you for you hospitality. I will depart immediately and send my squad."

"Excellent-"

"Surely you aren't planning to leave so soon, Commander." It came to a surprise to the both of them that Elise was standing there. "Please stay for dinner. We have an extra room for you to stay in, it is much too late for a long journey without rest first."

The commander was not expecting this, and judging by her fathers face neither was he.

They both stood silently for a moment, baffled.

"Ha! My daughter has made quite the point." The king chuckled somewhat. "It would be rather rude of me to send you off on such a journey ill rested. Please, do accompany us this evening."

Erwin fumbled for words. He knew he was needed back at HQ but it was common knowledge that you did not say no the king. He smoothly recovered from his stumbles, "It would be my honor to join you tonight, your Majesty. I cannot thank you enough for your gratitude."

"Mm-hmm." The king started, "Vincent, please show the commander around the castle. A tour, if you would.' He gestured toward a butler that was nearby.

"Yes, your highness." Vincent escorted the commander down the hall. Once out of sight the king turned toward Elise.

"Elise, what do you think you are doing?'

Elise avoided the question, "What were you discussing?"

He father sighed. He knew he had to tell her anyway, so he might as well tell her now. "I want you to listen and try to understand before you throw a fit. I want you to know that what I do, I do because I love you and want to protect you."

Elise tried to prepare herself, she narrowed her eyes in confusion.

He father continued, "I summoned Erwin here so we could discuss on an elite team that will escort you to an old castle outside of the wall. I will keep you there till I find a decent man to marry you off to-"

"What are you saying? Are you crazy!? A castle outside of the walls? I thought you wanted to protect me! Titans are everywhere outside the wall, are you not the one who said it was like asking for death if you went outside?"

"Elise, listen. I am putting you there because I know you can't run away there and I will have guards stationed there 24/7. I know there's a chance you could escape from here again, so sending you out into titan territory will prevent you from doing that. It is only a temporary thing. You're 17 now, you will be able to come back once you turn 18. I will already have someone picked out for you to marry." He tried talking in a calm voice.

"You can't send me out there-"

"If I put you somewhere inside the walls you will find a way to escape again and we will have to deal with finding you again."

"Who is to say I wont run away while outside the walls?" Elise was upset. She didn't understand and she certainly didn't like the idea.

Her father gave her a look, "Look me in the eye and tell me you would willingly run out into a field full of titans and allow yourself to be eaten."

Elise looked down at the ground. She didn't say a word. She had already experienced the fear of being eaten by a titan and there wasn't a chance she would put herself in the type of situation again.

She marched away from her father without any other words. He let her go with hesitation.

She marched until she found Vincent and the commander. She flashed a smile as they watched her approached.

"Malady," Vincent bowed his head ever so slightly as she approached them.

"Thank you for your assistance, I will take over from here, Vincent."

"Yes, Malady," He bowed again and walked off.

She waited till he was out of range to start talking. "Shall we make our way outside to the stables, Commander?" She new they could talk privately there.

Erwin knew what she was thinking, "Please, lead the way." He moved his hand outward as if to say 'after you'.

Once inside the stables they were able to speak freely.

"That dress suits you nicely, I almost didn't recognize you," the commander commented.

Elise ignored him and continued to walked to a secluded part of the building. "My father filled me in on the situation."

"I talked to Nile before arriving here" The commander continued. Elise scrunched her face at his name. "He didn't tell me to tell you this but he's the one who suggested that the Scouting Legion escort you."

"What do you mean?"

"Nile purposefully didn't tell your father he found you in the Scouting Legion. Instead he lied and said you were only in military training. He really stuck his neck out for you. Then when the king asked him if he would gather a group of Military Police members to escort you outside he suggested to let us do the privileges. He's really trying to help you, Elise. I think he understood why you ran away and felt sympathy for bringing you back. But you don't go against the kings orders, he had no other choice than to bring you back."

It didn't make sense to Elise. She had hated him since the first day they met when she was 10. She didn't really have a reason to, she just did. Not to mention when your that young a soldier like him would scare any little girl. She concluded Nile was just too afraid to leave the walls so instead insisted the Scouting Legion do it.

"Who are you planning on sending?" Elise turned to face him.

"I'll be sending about 6 troops just to pick you up from the castle. Once you reach the wall an additional 50 will be waiting to join the group." The commander paused. "They will be under the command of Corporal Rivaille. But if you're thinking what I'm thinking, we wont even be leaving the wall." The commander smirked.

Elise caught on to his strategy. Was he seriously going to risk that? The thought had crossed her mind but she thought the commander wouldn't comply. She smiled slightly. "You and Nile arranged something, didn't you?"

Erwin nodded. "You're officially joining the Scouting Legion again."

Elise smirked. "You know how dangerous this is?"

"We've got everything planned out, nothing should go wrong."

Elise couldn't believe what was happening. Had they really devised a plan to allow Elise to rejoin the military? Instead of escorting her to the old castle they were bringing her back. She wondered if they had even planned this before she left HQ that day she returned. But how could of Nile known she would be transferred outside the wall? Had he and the king discussed it before? Or maybe he didn't even know about the relocation.

It confused her too much to think about. Whatever the case she was heading back. She smiled with glee. "Thank you, Commander. You have no idea how happy this makes me."

"Just don't be thinking you're going to get out of cleaning duty because you're royalty." He teased her.

She laughed, "Of course not." She quietly stopped when a thought crossed her mind. "Commander… You still didn't tell anyone who I really was, did you?"

Erwin was thrown back by the question. "Of course not… But in order for this mission to work, Rivaille will have to know the truth."

She thought so. "Please, allow me to tell him the truth."

He smiled at her, he had a strange suspicion he knew what was going on between them. "Sure. Just know you'll have to tell him in the beginning before he leads you all the way to the wall and discovers there's nobody there. You'll have to explain to him your true destination is actually HQ. Can you handle that?"

Elise nodded.

**Okay so personally I don't think I did my best on this chapter but it will do for now. Some stuff may be confusing but I plan on revising it a little sometime in the future. I'll also explain the plan in further detain next chapter. Anyway, I've also been working on a new SNK story (I know, shame on me for starting a new story before I finish this one) that i plan on uploading soon. I'm really excited about it so I wanted you to be to. :) I put a little description and a small excerpt from it in my bio so if your curious you can check it out! Thanks for reading and reviewing! ^.^**


	17. Chapter 17

**Thanks for being extremely patient for an update guys. Sorry it took a whole two weeks ****L**** The first week I had 4 finals that I really had to focus on. Then I kinda got into an accident in which my car flipped twice. MY BRAND NEW CAR MIGHT I ADD. I bought it 20 minutes before another driver ran a stop sign and T-boned me. But no worries I wasn't seriously injured, only bruises and whiplash. But my brand new baby was totaled and I have to find a new one now. :'(**

* * *

**Chapter 17 **

**Part One**

"_Then tell me. Why did you come here?" _

_"I guess it's because... I couldn't sleep before seeing you first." Rivaille seemed more satisfied with that answer, but it was hard for Elise to tell. His emotions were always hard to read. _

_Elise decided to go out on a limb and say, "I see you had no problem falling asleep." _

_Rivaille released his grip on her and turned himself away. She guessed it was a self conscience gesture. _

_"The more you try to hide your embarrassment the more obvious it is," she didn't know what propelled her to tease him. _

_"I'm not embarrassed. And I wasn't sl-" _

_"Lying only makes things worse," Elise butted in. _

_Rivaille turned and gave her an unreadable glare. "Perhaps now would be a good time to remind you you disobeyed my direct orders. Disobedience requires punishment." _

_Elise remained quiet and waited for him to speak again. The room fell very silent._

_Rivaille reached forward to grab her wrist again. He pulled her towards him so their faces were inches apart. He rested his forehead on hers. _

"_I really am thankful you saved my life, Rivaille." Elise whispered. She wanted to be sure he actually understood._

_Rivaille was silent. His eyes closed. He pushed himself forward somewhat. _

"_Kiss me." he said after she withdrew from him slightly. _

_There was a pause. "Is that an order?"_

"_Yes."_

_Elise pushed herself forward and their lips molded together in harmony. They each became engulfed in their own piece of bliss. At some point Rivaille's hand had found its way to Elise's neck and was pulling her towards him. Elise pulled off to catch her breath but found Rivaille's lips attached to hers almost immediately. _

_He pulled away not too long after. Then opened his eyes and said, " I'm thankful, too."_

* * *

The plan goes as followed.

The king has been told an elite group of six will escort Elise, along with several servants, to Wall Rose where they will join with 50 other soldiers. From there the king believes they will depart into Titan territory to the coordinates of an old abandoned castle. But rather they will be rerouted to the Scouting Legion's HQ, never reaching their true destination. The elite soldiers will be told (By the commander) they are to escort the princess to an abandoned castle within wall Rose, they will not be told the reason.

Once there Elise will change from her current outfit to a scouting legion uniform. While in the castle changing the group will depart and she will return to HQ later that night.

The commander had left that morning before Elise had even woken up. She knew it took about a days journey to reach HQ from the royal capital, so her escort wouldn't be here till tomorrow. She spent that day being excited and relieved she wouldn't have to live within the walls of the castle anymore. Happy to think she will be free, nobody will be able to hold her back from walking through a street and showing her face to the public.

She found it hard to sleep that night. Knowing tomorrow would be the big day. But it wasn't only excitement that kept her awake, she was nervous. She was nervous about how she would confront Rivaille. Like how she was going to explain she was really the daughter of the king.

She estimated she got about 4 hours of sleep. Maybe less, she couldn't be positive she even slept thoroughly throughout the night. She bathed that morning and had her hair styled like usual. Then changed into another ball gown.

Elise pretended to be understanding when her and her father exchanged a few words. He said his final goodbyes and I love yous. She made herself appear upset over the situation. Excitement and relief would certainly not be what he was expecting. A butler came into their room and announced that Elise's escort had arrived. Her father helped her throw on a cloak that covered her whole body, she pulled her hood up.

Her father walked with her to the grand foyer, where Corporal Rivaille was waiting. Elise kept her eyes focused on the ground and trusted her memory would serve her well as she used it to navigate through halls, using only floor to direct her. Although she couldn't see him she easily felt his presence when she stepped into the foyer. She walked shoulder to shoulder with her father. Hiding her face the best she could.

"You may follow me, Princess." A regular guard at the castle spoke before anyone. She didn't question it and left without hesitation. Much relieved Rivaille didn't have a chance to see her face. She guessed that him and her father had some terms to discuss.

They exited out the front door. Sebastian was waiting for her in full riding gear. He whinnied silently in excitement at the sight of her face. She stoked his nose a few times before being helped aboard. She could see legs of other horses in front of her but didn't dare to glance at the riders. In order for the plan to work it was important for no one to see her face. Not only that but it was practically against the law to lay eyes on her.

Feet crunched beneath her and she caught sight of boots and white pants. Her whipped her head the other direction, feeling slightly rude but knew it was necessary.

Rivaille, who stood next to her, was slightly insulted by the act but continued regardless. "Princess, I am Captain Rivaille. I'm the one who is in control of everything so if you find anything unpleasant or to your disliking inform me and I will take care of it. It is our job to ensure not only a safe journey for you but a comfortable one as well. With your consent we'd like to dispatch now and make good use of the little light we have left."

It brought goosebumps to her skin to hear his voice again. Hearing him call her princess made her cheeks become a little hot. She contemplated telling him the truth now, but decided against it since almost all eyes were on them. Elise nodded without a word.

"Then we're moving out." He left to mount his horse. She prayed he didn't recognize Sebastian. He looked no different than any other black horse, so maybe it wouldn't cross his mind. A few moments were took to double check everything and make sure all was tidy. Elise rode in the middle of the formation. Soldiers beside, in front of, and behind her. Of course Rivaille was in the far front, leading the group.

Every step closer made her more nervous. Each step closer was a reminder she had yet to tell Rivaille what the real plan was. But how could she inform him now? She can't go towards the front. Nor could she speak aloud to summon him. She glanced at their surroundings and tried to determine how long they have been riding for.

They were walking, of course, so the trip would be slightly lounger. She estimated it would be at least another 4 hours before they got close to the castle. She could afford to waste some time devising a plan. And of course she still needed to figure out what she was going to say.

She blew an hour only thinking about how Rivaille would react. What he was going to say to her, if he was going to say anything at all. The whole squad had been quite since their departure. But it was considered rude to talk amongst one another in the presence of royalty. Especially when you were not talking to the royal present.

Another 2 hours had passed before she decided to take action. She knew it had to be immediate action, too. She gathered all the courage in her body and pulled on Sebastian's reins to force him to stop. Everyone took at least 3 more steps before pulling their horses to a halt. Most only store, unsure on how to approach the situation. She could hear the sound of an angry growl from the front of the group and automatically knew it was Rivaille losing his temper.

Elise could feel all eyes on her. It pushed her nervousness to a whole nother level, her face started burning red. It was a servant that rode up next to her. She stopped her horse beside Elise and leaned over to whisper. "What is the matter, Hime-Sama?"

Elise leaned to her ear and whispered back. The servant nodded in understanding. She pulled herself away. She rode up to the guard that was stationed in front of her and spoke, "The Princess would like to talk to the Corporal." There was no need for him to pass the message on. It was quiet enough for Rivaille to hear what she said from his position.

Elise could picture the annoyed look on his face as he slowly rode his horse towards her. She swore she felt sweat beading on her forehead from the anticipation. He stopped just short of a foot from her. "Your majesty?"

Elise store down quietly. She wouldn't say a word until their conversation was completely private. The silence was once again disturbed by the servant, "I believe malady wants to talk in private, Captain."

He took a moment to glance at the maid then back towards Elise. Rivaille sighed, "Fine." He agreed. "Leave us be." He ordered the soldiers. The servants followed behind them.

Elise waited to make sure they were out of their hearing zone. "Is there a problem? Something you find unpleasant?" Rivaille tried again to engage her. Part of him expected to get no answer. He was perplexed to see her head shake in denial. "Then please explain why you have halted our progress." Rivaille was slightly angrier.

Elise could sense it and hesitated to pull at her hood. She knew she had to act fast if she wanted him to stay. He could lose patience any minute and walk away. She told herself this repeatedly but still she was frozen. Too afraid to move. Too afraid to reveal herself. Elise dropped Sebastian's reins and lifted her head slightly. She ever so slowly moved her hands up to intertwine her fingers in the fabric of her hood. Gripping it gently, she paused. Her heart pounded against her chest. She took in a deep breathe then released it all the way. She opened her eyes once she realized they were closed. Then pulled back her hood.

She deliberately avoided his eyes at first. She took her time moving her eyes up his body until she met with his face. Evident surprise dominated his face. His once tightened eyebrows were hovering in disbelief above his tiny blue eyes. They both tried to summon words but they were already communicating with their eyes. No words needed to be spoken to understand their connection.

Without warning Rivaille's face tightened back together in his usual permanent scowl. He pulled on his horses reins, forcing it to turn and begin to walk away.

Elise gaped, "Rivaille!" She kicked Sebastian and ran to cut him off.

"The sun is setting. Time is of the essence," Rivaille tried to maneuver around her.

"Rivaille, why are you mad?" She moved to block his path again.

"Tell me the truth." He hissed. "You came into my office that night because you knew you knew you were leaving." Elise was speechless. "Erwin told me you ran away that night. But what really happened was you were being brought home to your daddy, wasn't it?" He used her silence to stare. "Why would you come and say the things you did when you knew you were leaving and never returning." Rivaille refused to look at her now.

He tried moving around her again. This time she didn't try to stop him.

"You're wrong." Rivaille stopped when she spoke. "I didn't know I was leaving that night! In fact, I didn't even leave. I left the next morning. I had no idea I was going to be taken that day." she paused. But then knew it was her turn to talk and continued. "Erwin.. Knew the truth. Everything. Nile told him who I was and explained he would be taking me away. I had then asked Erwin to keep my identity a secret. And to come up with a story as towards why I was missing… I didn't want to leave, Rivaille. I had no choice"

There was a long drawn out silence.

"Why would you reveal yourself to me? You could have kept yourself hidden." He paused to stare at her, "Is it because you want to see me suffer."

"Rivaille." She rode closer to him. "The plan really isn't what you think it is. I'm not going to that castle to stay. I'm rejoining the Scouting Legion. That is where you are really escorting me to."

"Your father said you might try to pull some weird trick like this-"

"I'm not lying!" Elise reached inside her cloak and pulled out an envelope. "If you don't believe me, read this. It's from Erwin." She had found the envelope on her nightstand when she woke up the day the commander had left. It had Rivaille's name in cursive on the front.

Rivaille toke it from her hands and read it over. She had no clue what was written in it but she assumed it was some form on proof that she was telling the truth.

He pulled his eyes away from the paper and folded it back up, then stuffed in in his cloak. From the look on his face she knew he understood the true objective at hand.

Without looking at her he turned himself around and started to walk away, towards the group. "We're leaving."


	18. Chapter 18

**Chapter 17 **

**Part Two**

The group reformed their formation and continued walking. Elise couldn't explain why but she felt like a failure. She felt depressed after spending all that time trying to devise a plan to talk to Rivaille to only have him walk away from her. She second guessed herself and regretting saying what she did. Through her head she imagined how the situation would have gone if she would have said something else.

How was life in the Scouting Legion going to be now? Especially if Rivaille was going to be her commanding officer. Maybe life in the castle wouldn't be so bad after all… She shook her head at the absurd thought. The scouting legion is a way to be free. The only thing she had ever wanted.

40 minutes later they were arriving at the castle. It was nothing too impressive, but still large enough to house many. All the soldiers took this time to stretch their legs and fill their stomachs with food and water. Most retrieved water from a well and gave it to their horses.

She watched as the servants began to dismount their horses and grab their belongings from their bags. She would eventually have to tell them they were free to go home or leave to wherever they wanted, that they were free to do whatever they'd like. But she would wait for all the troops to dispatch first before telling them.

A thought slowly came to her as she realized she wanted to get off her horse. She couldn't to do it by herself. Her tall, pointy heels, the bulk of her dress, and the long drop down. That was the recipe for disaster. She definitely needed help. She didn't want to ask Rivaille. But she couldn't ask anybody else. All the servants had made their way inside to unload packed items. She contemplated just staying on her horse, or maybe attempting to slid off herself, but she brushed the thought off when she glanced down to the drop that would await her. And she ruled it unfair to Sebastian if she stayed on his back the whole time, he had already carried her for hours, he deserved a break.

She regretfully walked over toward where Rivaille was standing by his horse, feeding him food out of a bucket. Elise half expected him to walk away or turn and pretend like he didn't notice her. But he glanced at her for a moment then returned his gaze forward. She didn't want to speak yet. She felt embarrassed to have to ask the favor, to ask for help with something so simple.

He spoke when his horse finished licking the bucket clean. "Are you going to tell me what you want? Or are you just going to stand there?" He store up at her now. A hand placed on his hip.

She looked further down. "I..." She didn't want to say it. She turned her head away, then muttered, "I need help off my horse." She hoped she said it loud enough because she was not about to repeat herself.

There was a silence before Rivaille said, "I don't have time to mess around." He thought she was just playing games now.

"I'm serious!" She hissed in a whisper. "I can't get off alone while wearing this dress and these boots. I need help." She grumbled the last sentence.

"And what exactly would you like me to do? Hold your hand?" He mocked her.

"Yes! After you find a step stool."

Rivaille toke a moment to stare at her. He dropped the bucket he had in his hand in front of him, then used a foot to turn it upside down. "There."

"No." Her voice was hard. "I can't step on that, it's too small. And it needs to be taller."

Rivaille scoffed and mentally rolled his eyes. He glanced at his surroundings. He returned his gaze towards Elise with the shadow of idea in his eyes. He had a rather unsatisfied look on his face. Regardless he lifted up his hand suggesting she grab on.

"I just told you-"

"If you want down, trust me and grab my hand." his patience had run out, it easily showed on his face. Elise tried to decipher what he had planned. With no other options and her time running short she decided to trust him and grab the floating hand. She used it as balance while she swung one leg over so they both hung off the side. Rivaille pulled his hand away from hers but kept it held up along with his other hand. "Slid off."

"Riv-"

"Just slid off," his voice came again. Elise gave him a wary look but allowed herself to slid forward. She barely fell several inches before both of Rivaille's hands latched onto her waist. Stopping her fall completely and gently lowering her down to the ground. She had grabbed onto both his forearms for balance.

Once placed on the ground she silently exhaled. Her legs stiff and wobbly from not being in use. "Thanks," she whispered.

"I'll bring your horse to get food and water," Rivaille pulled away and grabbed Sebastian's reins, leading him in the opposite direction.

"Is this how it's going to be now... Rivaille?" She surprised herself with the question. Rivaille stopped walking. He turned his head to look back at her but stopped himself halfway through. He stood paused there, silently. Then abruptly pulled on Sebastian's reins continuing forward.

She didn't move for a moment. Was this what their relationship had fallen to? She turned for the castle doors and made her way inside. She spent an amount of time just walking around the castle and watching out the window as the troops prepared to depart again. She used that time to dismiss her servants and explain her situation. She made them swear an oath to never reveal her true identity or expose her to her father. She granted them complete freedom upon the promise. One explained to her she had no family and no place to return to. In which Elise told her to stay in the castle. It would be a good idea to have someone here at all times anyway, just in case a message came for her.

After that business was taken care of she exited out a back door and found a patch of presentable grass to sit on while leaning against the wall. The sun was almost completely set turning the sky a variety of reds and oranges. She fell victim to her heavy eyelids as she slowly drifted asleep. Recovering on the sleep she had lost the night prior.

"Elise."

Elise stirred somewhat upon hearing her name. A hand came down on her shoulder, shaking her slightly. "Elise."

This time her eyes flew open rapidly. She had to remember where she was and how she had managed to fall asleep. It wasn't completely dark but the sun had defiantly fallen over the horizon. It was still light enough to see all her surroundings.

She store at the man in front of her. His face so familiar yet... Different. He had a somewhat stalky build. He was tall and had black hair that fell neatly around his head. He had very noticeably blue eyes. Her eyebrows pulled together slightly, "Felix...?"

He straighten up, a small smile crawled onto his face. "Yeah."

She was on her feet and had her arms wrapped around him at record speed. She squeezed him tightly and buried her face into the fabric of his shirt. "What are you doing here!? Why weren't you at the castle?! Father wouldn't tell me a word about you!"

Felix wrapped his arms around her in return. "I was away taking care of a few things." He paused before continuing. "I spoke with Nile. He told me about where you were the passed few years and he told me I could find you here, since I didn't get to see you while you were home."

"You came all this way just to see me?" She pulled her head away to look up at him.

"Of course I did. I haven't seen you for 3 years... You've really changed. You look like a totally different person."

"I was thinking the same about you. Since when are you taller than me? And this old? You're supposed to be my younger brother." She buried her face onto his chest. He stood at least 8 inches taller than her.

"I've changed a lot since you left. I'm turning 16 in just a few days." they embraced each other in a long silence.

"I'm glad you're here." Elise whispered. "You're the only one I can really talk to." she pulled away from him now.

Felix was about to ask a question when he was interrupted by a roar of a voice.

"Elise." It was a dark protective tone. She turned to face the source of the voice. Rivaille made his way towards them in a quick stride. An evil glare glossed his eyes.

"Rivaille?" Elise had assumed all the troops had departed. She even watched as some of them left. Rivaille flew passed her and used one hand to grab Felix by his collar before pushing him against the castle wall. He used his free hand to draw a blade and hold it horizontally in front of him. "Who are you!?" Rivaille growled at Felix. His eyebrows drew together on anger.

"Rivaille, don't!"

"It's my job to protect you and right now he's considered an enemy until proven otherwise." His blade drew closer to Felix's neck.

"Rivaille, stop! You don't know who you're dealing-"

"Elise, tell him you know me!" Felix grabbed onto to Rivaille's arm that held him.

"He's my brother, Rivaille! Let go!" Elise placed herself between them and tried pushing Rivaille back. What could he possibly be thinking? Felix towered over him and had double his muscle mass.

Rivaille slowly pulled back. His face still pulled together in an angered expression. "How did you know she was here? Is anyone else aware of her location?"

Felix gave him a glare. "First of all, how dare you attack me. I could easily have you locked up or killed for that. Secondly, who do you think you are questioning me?"

"Felix, don't!" Elise turned to him, desperation clouded her eyes. There was a moment of silence before Felix sighed. "Nile Dawk told me she was here. And, no. I'm the only one he told."

Rivaille slid his blade back away. Not saying another word, still regarding him with an unsatisfied look. He turned his gaze towards Elise, "We're going to be departing soon."

"But, I thought all the troops had left already." Elise finally wasn't yelling.

"They did." Rivaille started. He noticed the baffled look on Elise's face and continued. "I'm still your escort. It would be against my word if I left you here alone."

Elise took a moment to decipher his claim. "We can't leave yet. Not until I'm done talking with Felix."

"If we wait any longer we'll be traveling in the dark." Rivaille stated.

"We're going to be traveling in the dark regardless." Elise countered him.

After giving her an unsatisfied glare he hissed, "Fine," through his teeth then turned to walk away. "Make it quick."

Elise waited for him to round the corner before turning back toward Felix and sighing, "Sorry he's so rude. It's just who he is."

"You mean he always acts like he has a stick up his ass?" Felix rearranged the part of his shirt that got messed up.

"He's not always like that. He's a good person once you get to know him." Elise sat herself down on a nearby crate.

"So, you've known him for a while then?" He sat on a crate adjacent to her.

"Well, kinda. I mean, I was in the Scouting Legion and he's a corporal. So you know."

"Wait, so, he went from being your superior to you being his superior? That's gotta be annoying."

"Yeah, well. As soon as we get back to HQ he'll be my superior again. And he'll probably make me muck the stalls or scrub a floor or something." Elise sighed.

Felix looked over at her and threw her a concerned look.

She noticed then asked, "What?"

He look away and store at his feet. "Why… Do you want to be in the military, Elise?"

"Don't tell me you're gonna lecture me, too."

Felix looked back up at her after a long silence and asked hesitantly, "How did father react when you came home?"

Elise leaned against the wall behind her, "Well, he cried. And scolded me. Said how much he missed me, asked me what I was thinking. He eventually yelled at me towards the end of the night."

"Sounds like him. How mad was he when he found out you were in the army?"

"What do you think?"

"Furious?"

"Yup," Elise nodded.

Felix looked back away. "I mean… I can't say I really blame him."

Elise gave him an unhappy look.

"You know how many people die while in the army. Especially the Scouting Legion. I'm just worried is all. I lost you once and now I don't want to lose you again." His voice was a whisper.

Elise shifted herself so she sitting next to him then wrapped her arms around him before burying her face into in torso. A few tears started gathering in her eyes. His arms drew around her and pulled her closer.

"Will you please talk to him?" Elise's voice was muffled. "Convince him to send more support to the army, more money, or whatever. He'll listen to you."

"What is that supposed to mean? 'He'll listen to you.'?"

"Me and you both know you were always his favorite." When he didn't reply, she continued. "He lets you leave home. And talk to other people. Even if you can't let many people see your face, either. At least he doesn't hide you."

"You know he's not hiding you. He's protecting you-"

"Maybe I don't want to be protected! Maybe I don't need other people helping me for once. I want to do things on my own and help others for a change." Elise pressed her face further into him. Tears started to spill over.

"You're the only piece of mother he has left… He just doesn't want to lose you, too. You know he loves you very much."

"Well, he has a funny way of showing it." Before Felix could say anything in return, Elise started again. "Don't tell him what I'm doing, okay? This is the one thing I'm happy doing. I'm giving back to the people the only way I know how."

"Of course I'll keep it a secret." He started. "If this is what makes you happy -being a kick-ass titan slayer while double living as a princess- then who am I to ruin that for you?"

A small laugh escaped Elise's lips. "How did I end up with a brother as great as you?"

Felix laughed in return. "I guess you just got lucky."

**Hurray for an update! I finally had time in my schedule to finish this chapter. Anyway, I plan on the next chapter being the last. BUT. I'm going to be uploading side stories/one shots as well that go along with this story. Like things in the future or the past, I'm planning on writing about Elise's first week in the training camp and maybe a short story of Elise and Felix when they were kids. **

**Also, I just want to kinda explain Elise and Felix's relationship. Like they were really close when they were kids because they only had each other to play with and keep each other company. There were no other kids for them to hang with. It was just them so they are each others best friend and like love each other to death and just ugh, i love them. They have that perfect sibling love.**


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